Over 220 sportsmen and women have benefitted from the Athletes Relief Fund set up by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to provide palliative for them in response to their inability to earn income as a result of disruptions to the sporting calendar by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The N11millions private sector donated fund, administered by a committee chaired by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, paid N50,000 to each beneficiary.
The committee had set criteria for eligibility to assess the fund, which requires that beneficiary is an Olympic bound athlete, or an athletes that has represented Nigeria in the past one year, or an athlete that is bound or qualified to represent Nigeira, or an athlete confirmed to be in dire need.
The N11million donated funds were paid directly into the Ministry’s account domicile with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from where the disbursements were made to the athletes.
Following the disbursements, the Ministry has closed the ad-hoc sports relief fund, which was meant to serve only as a pillative for the COVID-19 lock down period.
