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Some members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Kogi State chapter have decried the hijack of publicity funds for the ongoing 22nd Chief Judge of Nigeria Games in the state.
The two-week long sports event underway at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja, which is scheduled to end on September 11, is witnessing poor publicity due to unreleased funds for the media.
36 states and the FCT are participating in 11 sports including volleyball, football, table tennis, chess, scrabble, badminton, ayo among others at the national judiciary games.
Sources claimed that the state government had earmarked the sum of 2.2 million naira for media and publicity of the games which been withheld by the commissioner for Youth and Sports, Arome Adoji, who also chairs the Local Organising Committee.
A member of the media committee, who spoke on ground of anonymity, divulged that Adoji is holding back the publicity funds and indicated that the commissioner had claimed that 500,000 naira was set aside for media.
The member further alleged that the commissioner is yet to release funds of about 11 million naira meant for logistics to the technical committee, which is stalling the start of some events at the games.
Efforts made to reach the head of the media committee, Fanwo Kingsley, who also doubles as the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, to get a reaction proved abortive.
In the same vein, the Kogi sports commissioner when contacted failed to answer calls made to his phone nor reply messages.
Fast becoming a trend, funds meant for athletes and competitions have continued to be hijacked by the sports ministry, recalling the shortchange of the Ghana’s 2016 Keta Cup first runner up beach soccer team few months ago.
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