Athlete denied use of stadium for training over refusal to represent Kwara at NSF Gateway games cries out
One Ruqqayah Kemi Mustapha has alleged that sports authorities in Kwara state north central Nigeria have restricted her from the use of the state owned sports facilities for her training programmes.
According to her, she has been denied access to the Kwara State Stadium for her Training by the Sports Commission Chaired by one mallam Bola Magaji.
She alleged that the restriction where based on the claims that she had failed to pay some fixed training dues to the authorities and her refusal to represent the state at the just concluded National Sports Festival, NSF held in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Ruqqayah in her words against mallam Bola Magaji alleged that “He said I can’t use the state stadium because I didn’t represent Kwara State at the last NSF. This is my first time representing another state in a national competition, and this is because of the poor treatment of home grown athletes.
“I’ve always self-sponsored myself to competitions and will still represent Kwara State because I am an indigene”.
“At some point, they offered 5,000 naira as a monthly stipend. We have been negotiating for many years now, yet they refused negotiations. I got tired and represented another state”.
“We had to go to other states. But do we have to continue like that?”, Ruqayyah queried.
