Paris 2024: National Assembly Yet to Redeem ₦100m Pledge to NOC, PCN Two Years After
Two years after the fanfare and public announcements, the National Assembly has still not redeemed its ₦100 million pledge to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria (PCN) for Team Nigeria’s Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic preparations.
As Nigerians continue to review the level of support provided to Team Nigeria before the global event, urgent questions have resurfaced over the fate of the high-profile financial commitments made on the floor of the Green Chamber.
During a special session convened to honour Nigerian athletes, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas Phd represented by his Deputy, Benjamin Kalu publicly presented a cheque of ₦100 million as the National Assembly’s contribution to the athletes’ preparation and welfare.
At that same ceremony, Hon. Aminu Balele, representing Dutsin-Ma/Kurfi Federal Constituency, personally donated a foreign-currency sum equivalent to ₦3 million, handed over to then, Sports Minister John Enoh specifically for the athletes’ benefit.
However, investigations have now revealed that neither the NOC nor the PCN has received a single kobo of these donations. Months after these widely publicised gestures, the funds remain unaccounted for.
A senior official at the National Assembly, who requested anonymity, expressed deep concern:
“Nobody can say where the funds are. There is no confirmation that the NOC or PCN received anything. Were these donations ever disbursed? Did the athletes get the support publicly promised to them? What official documents show how this money was utilised, if at all? These pledges were made in good faith, before the entire nation, to support athletes who sacrifice everything to represent Nigeria.”
The event was attended by NOC General Secretary, Tunde Popoola and PCN President, Sunday Odebode. When contacted for clarification, Odebode declined to comment, while NOC President Engr. Habu Gumel was unavailable, reportedly out of the country on official duty.
The source further stressed:
“Accountability is not negotiable. It is owed to the donors, to the athletes, and to Nigerians. We call on the NOC, PCN, Ministry of Sports now the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the leadership of the National Assembly to provide transparent, verifiable updates on the status and utilisation of these funds. Nigerians deserve answers. Our athletes deserve better.”
Efforts to reach the Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Hon. Kabiru Amadu, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages as of the time of filing this report.
