Ahead of the 2021 National Sports Festival, Kogi State government has failed to register athletes for athletics.
The National Sports Festival is billed to take place from 14th to 28th February, 2021 in Benin, Edo state.
The shocking development is coming after the Fatimah Yusuf-led state association, inaugurated in July 2020, organized the maiden Nasiru Ajanah U-15 Secondary Schools Track and Field invitational five months later.
One of the athletes who spoke to journalists on the condition of animosity said the Director of Sports, Sunday Daku made the decision unilaterally and convinced the Commissioner for Sports in the state why athletes should not be registered.
He said few of the state athletes are considering representing other states in order not for their dreams not to be shattered by Kogi state.
He added that the current administration is not concerned about the plight of other sports.
He said, “I am expressing my displeasure because the Director of Sports is about to singlehandedly destroy the career of those in Athletics.
“How can a Director of Sports say he will not register Athletics for the biggest sporting event in the country? Whoever advised him to make such decision is an enemy of the state.
“As it stands, some of us are considering representing other serious states. Thank God the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports released a memo that states can still register athletes on or before 25th January, 2021”.
Another athlete appealed to Governor Yahaya Bello to call the Commissioner for Sports and Director of sports to order.
He said, “I have a strong belief that if the governor wades into this matter, the Director of Sports will revert his decision.
“Some of us can remember vividly that the Director of Sports failed to register the Volleyball team for the 2017 National Youth Games but a volleyball stakeholder took it upon himself and sponsored the team. Fortunately, volleyball won a gold medal for us at the Youth Games”.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner for Sports, Director of Sports and the chairperson Kogi State Association proved abortive.
