About a week to the kick-off of the 2023 edition of Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, and in an effort to ensure that Nigeria’s football and other sporting activities are revived and developed, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has released the sum of N12 billion to the Ministry of Sports Development.
The said amount would assist those in charge of the management of sports to clear backlog of arrears of salaries and other outstanding debts owed coaches of the national teams and other sporting activities under the sports ministry.
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan-Enoh, stated this on Saturday during a thanksgiving ceremony at Holy Family Catholic Church in Ikom LGA of Cross River State.
Enoh said that no President in Nigeria has shown the level of commitment displayed by President Tinubu as far as sports development in the country is concerned.
“The senior team national coach has not been paid for 15 months, the salary is about $1.350 million.
“The senior national team and other national teams; female, under 20 had a backlog of unpaid allowances, unpaid promises, and all of that piling up close to about N12 billion.
“The President has approved all of that payment. There’s no better way to show support and leadership than what he (Tinubu) has done,” the Minister stated.
Enoh added that if there was any facet of the economy that President Tinubu is interested to revive, it’s sports, which would show joy, peace and happiness across all households.
The Minister charged players and managers of the senior national team to redouble their effort towards victory as the entire nation would be waiting in anticipation of victory.
While admitting that the sports sector is truly controversial but one can always triumph with hardwork, the Minister noted that, “Every step you take is controversial but to the glory of God, I’m able to navigate through that and we are not in any controversy.”