Reps summon Sports Minister Lalong, others, over disappearance of $150,000 AFN grant

Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has been summoned by the House of Representatives to explain a grant of $150, 000 given to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

The grant was said to have been given to AFN by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2017 in error as against $15, 000 the body usually gives AFN as annual grant.

Summoned along with Lalong to explain the whereabouts of the money are top officials of the AFN and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

The development came after the House on Wednesday queried the alleged “disappearance” of the grant and subsequently passed a resolution to summon the minister and the others.

Raising the issue before the House, Diri Douye, a lawmaker from Bayelsa State, told his colleagues that IAAF had upon discovering the error immediately asked the AFN to return the excess payment.

He however said, “The money now seems to have disappeared into thin air.

“Some board members of the AFN are calling for an emergency congress to look into the scandal and have faulted the Sports Minister Mr. Solomon Dalung, who was said to have set up a committee to probe the circumstances surrounding the missing money.”

He went further to tell the House that there were fears that it was possible that the money might have gone into the private pockets of some AFN officials “sometime last year when the sports minister had dissolved the boards of various sports federations.”

The plenary which was presided over by the Speaker Yakubu Dogara, called for the refund of the money to the IAAF to prevent Nigeria from suffering any penalties by the international sports body.

READ ALSO: BUHARI: My govt not like Jonathan’s, we’ll rescue Dapchi girls

Expressing worries that in spite of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, that funds meant for public agencies could be received and spent without trace, the lawmaker added, “The House is concerned that not only is the image of the country being seriously tarnished by the seeming failure of the AFN to refund the excess payment at the instance of the IAAF, but also Nigeria runs the risk of being banned from international competitions.”

After motion on the matter was passed in a unanimous voice vote, the House referred it to the committee on sports to conduct a “forensic audit on the alleged looting of the excess grant payment and determine measures being put in place to prevent further infraction.”

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now