Athletes Hail AFN Over Payment Of Entitlements

Some track and field ath
letes have  expressed gratitude to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) for the payment of their outstanding Golden League prize money.
The  athletes threatened to boycott the third leg of the league held in Akure on May 10.
The athletes, who made the threat, said they were owed prize money for the two previous editions held in Abuja and Ilorin.
Some of them who spoke with newsmen said the payment would serve as motivation for their participation in the next leg of the league.
Precious Okoronkwo, winner of the long jump at the Abuja leg of the league, said the payment of the money had gladdened her heart.
“I went to Akure with misgivings and bad mood due to persuasion of my coach.
“He urged me to attend but I was gladdened when the prize money was paid after the Akure edition,” she said.
Nkem Eziala, third place winner in the 100m in Abuja and Ilorin events, said that with the payment the athletes would perform better in the next leg.
“With the commencement of the payment, the next league will witness a better performance by the athletes,” Eziala said.
According to the 17-year-old sprinter, the Akure leg witnessed a low turnout of athletes unlike the previous editions because of the outstanding of prize money owed by the federation.
She said that with the payment the athletes would turnout in large numbers for the next competition in Akure on May 26.
“The more the athletes, the better for the league for it will bring about stiff competition which makes for better evaluation of athletes,” Eziala said.
Mercy Abiere, a long jumper said that with the payment, athletes would be more focused to meet the national standard ahead of the All Nigeria Athletics Championships in Calabar in June.
Another jumper, Ruth Usoro, however, tasked the AFN to promptly pay athletes at the end of any competition.
The AFN’s league is organised every two weeks in different states to harness talents for national assignments.
The winner of the first position is to earn N40, 000, second place N30, 000, while the third and fourth positions are to get N20, 000 and N15, 000 respectively.
The fifth placed athlete is to earn N10,000 and the sixth to get N5,000, while the first place winners in relay are to get N30,000, second N25, 000 and third N20,000 respectively.
The next leg of the league which was initially billed to hold in Kaduna will now take place in Akure.
Athletes and official rejected the choice of Kaduna as the host due to the security situation in the state.