Edo: FG yet to fulfil financial pledge — 5 months after sports festival

The Edo government says the federal government has not fulfilled its financial pledge to the state for hosting the 20th National Sports Festival (NSF).

According to NAN, Sixtus Omokhagbor, an aide of Philip Shaibu, the Edo deputy governor who had doubled as the festival’s local organising committee (LOC) chairman, blew the lid while speaking in Benin on Thursday.

The festival was held between April 2 and 14 after several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event almost hit an iceberg prematurely on April 8, when the LOC released a statement that threatened the sporting festival due to the federal government’s refusal to provide the state with funds.

Shuaibu had, on April 9, ordered the closure of the offices belonging to the LOC and main organising committee (MOC), signalling the threats were not empty.

The development led to a swift intervention by the federal government to prevent the shutdown of the sports festival.

TheCable had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari pledged the sum of N500 million to the Edo state government before the event was allowed to continue.

Five months later, Omokhagbor, however, said the state is yet to receive the fund, adding that it has also not been informed about what was delaying the fulfilment of the pledge.

“Everything we did then was based on an understanding with the Federal Government, and the state government had to stretch itself beyond its financial capacity to ensure that the festival took place,” the aide said.

“Edo put in place the best of facilities and also made preparations for the festival before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the postponement of the festival on three occasions.

“Then, a lot of funds had been expended before these postponements. It was in view of this that the Federal Government promised to support us to host the festival.

“It is, however, disappointing that about five months after the festival has successfully taken place, the state is yet to get anything from the Federal Government as promised.”

But in his reaction, John Joshua-Akanji, an aide of Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports development, said the situation “is being handled by the presidency” while adding that the process of making the payment “has commenced.”