According to a news report from Punch, Para athletes in Kwara State shut down the state stadium in Ilorin for hours on Monday in protest against alleged marginalisation by the Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Sports Commission, Bola Mogaji.

Early on Monday, the para athletes blocked access to the stadium, preventing athletes, coaches, and other workers from entering. The standoff lasted for hours until Senior Special Assistant on Special Duty to the Governor, Abdulrazak Jiddah, and Special Assistant on Security, Moshood Gobir, intervened with police to restore order and reopen the stadium.

Following an hour of negotiations with the aggrieved athletes, Jiddah assured them that their grievances would be taken to the appropriate authorities.

But speaking to newsmen at the stadium, Teslim Balogun, pioneer Power Lifting champion in the state and leader of the protesters, alleged that Mogaji has thoroughly marginalized the special athletes in the state, shutting off from gainful employment with the commission among other allegations.

“He does not have our best interest at heart,” he claimed.

First, he alleged that Mogaji summarily yanked off Bilikis Abolore, representing the para-athletes at the KSC board.

“Her stipends have been stopped too,” he added

According to him, Mogaji has always been in the habit of under-declaring allocations made for para-athletics competitions.

He cited an instance in 2022 when the governor allocated N20 million for their competition only to be told later by the KSC boss that only N10 million was paid by the governor.

“What we are paid as stipends is nothing to write home about,” he further accused Mogaji.

According to him, para-athletes are poorly paid and can’t readily be employed in the KSC despite winning laurels for the state.

Kudirat Imam Fulani, gold medalist in para table tennis at the National Sports Festival and Value Jet International champion also spoke in a similar vein.

“I have not enjoyed the benefit of representing my state,” she said.

In his reaction, Mogaji refuted the claims, saying athletes’ allegations were not a true reflection of the state of things.

The KSC chairman said that the para-athletes’ protest was as a result of a reform being carried out by the commission, adding that the KSC board which was of two categories: the Statutory Board and non-statutory Board had been reduced to only one.

“The non-statutory where Abolore and some others belong was dissolved leaving the statutory one in place,” he said.

“Since their allowances come from the Secretary to State Government’s office, I have little or nothing to do with their money.

“Moreover, the state government won’t pay money to board members who are no longer with the commission,” he added.

The commission further made available to select newsmen, a list of coaches and athletes currently on the commission’s payroll which are 18 in all, engaged despite an embargo on employment by the state government.

The list included Bolaji the para badminton champion currently WSL3, who is engaged as assistant coach/athlete at the KSC.