EXCLUSIVE: Despite Lagos Claim That It Rewarded All Medal Winners At 2018 National Sports Festival, Loyal Athletes, Adewale Amao, Dele Pratt, Idowu Ogunyemi, Others, Didn't Get One Naira

While the Lagos State announced to the world that it rewarded medal winners at Abuja 2018 National Sports Festival (NSF), AllNews’ independent findings revealed that the quartet of Adewale Amao (m), Dele Pratt (m), Idowu Ogunyemi (f) and Titilayo Akinleye (f) who all won medals at the 19th edition of the NSF, and have not officially switched allegiance to another Nigerian state were not given their monetary reward.

Amao, Pratt, Ogunyemi and Akinleye are all squash players.

AllNews recalls that the Lagos State Government last weekend said in posts on its official Facebook and Twitter pages that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had rewarded all Team Lagos athletes who won medals at the Abuja 2018 NSF, “in fulfilment of his promise to athletes who did the state proud at the national tournament under the last administration”.

Speaking during a brief ceremony at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, last Thursday, Oluwatoyin Gafaar ‘Bolowotan’, the Director-General (DG) of the Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) said that the gesture was in pursuance of the spirit of continuity which the incumbent Lagos State Government is known for, disclosing that Governor Sanwo-Olu graciously approved the rewards for the Abuja 2018 medal winners to serve as motivation for Team Lagos at the 20th NSF in Edo State (ongoing).

"What we are doing today shows that any promise made by Mr. Governor will always be kept.

“There is a reward for loyalty, excellence and achievements in Lagos State”, Gafaar had stated.

The athletes of Team Lagos came fourth overall at Abuja 2018, thanks to the contribution of the likes of Amao, Akinleye, Yemisi Olatunji, Busayo Olatunji and AbdulRahaman Lanre.

Lagos finished fourth position on the log with 146 medals, comprising of 36 gold, 37 silver and 73 bronze medals. According to Lagos state government officials, athletes (of other sports; not all of them) who were rewarded got the following prize money: Gold Medal winners, N750,000; Silver Medalists, N500,000; and Bronze Medalists, N350,000.

For individual sports, Gold Medalists got N300,000, Silver Medalists received N200,000, while all Bronze Medalists were rewarded with N100,000.

It would be recalled that AllNews had exclusively reported how the LSSC deprived Lanre (m), Adegoke Onaopemipo (m), Busayo Olatunji (f) and Yemisi Olatunji (f) over N2 million ‘Loyalty Award’ money because they decided to dump Lagos for other states at the ongoing NSF. But athletes who didn't dump Lagos are also not given their due benefits, AllNews can authoritatively report.

For the benefit of hindsight, the arrangement of the NSF permits any player to represent any state of their choice at any time.

Amao told this reporter in an exclusive chat: “The players deserve better. I don’t know why someone will do something like that and think no one can question him. I have never heard of loyalty award before.

“Till now (Friday afternoon), no one has called me to notify me to come and collect my entitlements.”

Lanre, who won gold for Lagos in the singles event in Abuja is now representing Edo State at the ongoing  Festival in Benin; Gold medalist (singles) Yemisi Olatunji and her younger sister Busayo Olatunji who won bronze medal (singles) in Abuja are now defending the badge of Delta State, while Onaopemipo, a bronze medallist (singles) in the male single category at the last Festival is also a Delta State athlete at the moment.

Worthy of note is that Idowu and Akinleye are still Lagos players but the state dropped the female squash team for reasons not publicly specified. Yet, none of the two ladies got a penny from the Lagos State government for their feat at the last Festival.

State Sports Commission’s flimsy reason for withholding and pocketing monetary reward of active Lagos players, Idowu Ogunyemi, Titi Akinleye, et al. despite approval of all funds by Governor Sanwo-Olu

According to Sola Aiyepeku, the Chairman of the LSSC, all the squash athletes were not rewarded because of the “disloyalty” of all of them to the state.

"I acknowledge their efforts, but there is no compensation. We reward loyalty as well,” Aiyepeku had said according to Wildflower.

“If you decide to represent Lagos then stay with Lagos State. Life is about high and lows. It is not every time that we are on a high, but it is about your loyalty and staying power during the period that matters.

“Those who stayed with us have been rewarded and those who chose another side, there is nothing we can do about that.

“Those who are loyal to us will be rewarded and those who are not are out"

It is noteworthy that Yemisi Olatunji and Busayo Olatunji were Ondo State athletes before they were poached by Lagos State, and according to the siblings, they were not denied monetary rewards due to them while they were representing the Sunshine State.

The glorious Lagos squash team at the 19th NSF, comprising Yemisi Olatunji (3rd from right) and Lanre AbdulRahaman (2nd from right)

Lanre was formerly with Kwara State, same with Amao.

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AllNews’ SMS to Bolowotan seeking his comments on the matter went unanswered.