Children, Family Members Of Top Officials Of Sport Ministry, Olympic Committee Storm Brazil In Defiance To Presidential Directive

According to a report available

President Muhammadu Buhari’s warning against making the 2016 Rio Olympics one of a jamboree by Nigerian officials may have fallen on deaf ears as kids and family members of top officials of the Ministry of Sports and the Nigeria Olympic Committee are being spotted in Brazil.

A member of a federation, who spoke with The PUNCH, said the family and friends’ names were carefully done in a way that is quite difficult for outsiders to see.

“But the unfortunate thing is that some other people whose presence would have helped us a lot were denied places. It would have been okay if those people like sparing partners for the boxers and wrestlers were brought in as well. It took a fight for the wrestling federation to get in people here, whereas these other people are here,” he said.

He particularly mentioned three officials (names withheld) whose children are here.

“I am not saying these to drag anybody down but it was done on their personal bills; that I can tell you,” he insisted.

Our investigation suggested that a federation president made his personal arrangements for his kids to be in Rio and The PUNCH was able to locate the Nigerian, who made the initial arrangements for their accommodation in a housing unit in Rio. It was not however possible to confirm who funded the trip.

The PUNCH learnt that the athletes were forced to wear tracksuits during the opening ceremony rather than the kits prepared for them because those appointed to bring down them were left behind in Abuja.

The boxing team with just one boxer could not bring in an assistant to work the coach. The wrestling federation President Daniel Igali made a lot of noise talking to the media before some of those his wrestlers need were allowed travel.

“I have somebody helping me,” the boxing coach Anthony Konyekwachie said of the situation.

Punch