
National Sports Commission director-general, Alhasan Yakmut is aiming to stop the lack of funds drama often faced by sporting federations in their efforts to participate in international sports meet.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria was recently in the firing line, when they presented athletes at the African junior championships and African youth championships in Ethiopia and Mauritius respectively. It was gathered that Yakmut has reimbursed the AFN all the expenses with a promise to end what he described as an ‘embarrassment’ to the nation.
“The NSC has reimbursed our expenses. Yakmut had to pull all the strings to get the funds out.
“He is not happy that the sporting federations are made to beg and borrow before they could travel. He is hoping to end the trend,”said a member of the AFN.
The youth athletes were almost missing the meet in Mauritius, but for the last minute intervention of the AFN president, Solomon Ogba who used his contacts in Kenya to get tickets for the team.
Yakmut during a meeting with the director of sports forum in Abuja pledged to improve on the funding of sports development.
Source: Vanguard-