Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has rewarded athletes who did the state proud at the last National Sports Festival, tagged Eko 2012, with N41m cash.
Condemning what he described as win-at-all-cost attitude of some states, Oshiomhole said such did not augur well for sports development in Nigeria.
The governor, who held a reception for the athletes at the Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, announced a cash reward of N1m, N300,000 and N200,000 for gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively.
Coaches and officials who led athletes to the festival were not left out of the governor’s largess, as they were rewarded with N1m each for every gold won by their charges, while others received N300, 000 each.
Expressing displeasure over negative tendencies impacting on the biennial festival, Oshiomhole said, “When a state government decides to use and hire athletes as if they were mercenary soldiers, just to record achievements, that for me is not the spirit of the National Sports Festival, and it is important that the National Sports Festival must make conscious efforts to stop these malpractices, these corrupt tendencies.