Ahead Tokyo 2020: 90 Nigerian athletes to enjoy NSFDI’S Olympic grant

In a move aimed at mobilising Nigerian athletes to excel at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 90 athletes are to benefit from a N10million each Olympic grant per annum from the Nigeria Sports Development Fund Incorporated (NSFDI).

This was revealed on Tuesday by the NSFDI Director-General, Olajide Fashikun, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fund and Leadway Insurance Limited in Abuja.

“Immediately after the Commonwealth Games, we are going to pick 90 athletes who will enjoy the Olympics grant from the Nigeria Sports Development Fund Incorporated.

“Each of these athletes will enjoy a N10million grant per annum. Five of the N10million is meant for them to be able to compete anywhere in the world for them to be able to peak and be able to do very well at Tokyo 2020,” he said.

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All the 90 athletes were going to enjoy comprehensive insurance coverage and in addition had amity plan, which could sustain each of them for a period of five years, adding “If they stop play or feel that they don’t want to continue with sports, they are going to enjoy the benefit of their amity for life”.

Fashikun further revealed the NSDI’s plan to reward any of the selected athletes who excelled at the 2020 Olympic.

“For those who will be going to Tokyo 2020 Olympics, for every Bronze medal they win, they are going to be enjoying N5million bonus package from us. For silver medalists, they will be given N7.5million and for Gold medal, they will take home N10million.”

Fashikun stated that the MOU was meant to put an end to the situation whereby old generation of Nigerian athletes lived “on grace waiting for people to contribute for them to continue to live life”.

“For the insurance cover for which we are signing the MoU today (Tuesday) every amateur athlete in the country in any of the sports will qualify to enjoy the insurance cover.”

He, however, pleaded with the athletes contribute a little further, declaring that, “if they can add a little on the premium, they can get a comprehensive cover.

“Every injury or whatever unforeseen circumstances that come their way, they will also to enjoy comprehensive response from the insurance company.”

Also speaking at the event, Leadway Insurance’s Divisional Director, Allan Onifade said, “Before now it is of concern to all of us that we see our athletes that have toiled day and night to ensure they bring glory to this country, we find them abandoned at the end of the day.

“Even of recent, we have read so much stories about them that died without getting anything to fall back to. It is indeed, a very sad event.

“We are telling you that with the signing of this MoU that we are putting an end to that because we would try our best to ensure that what we have agreed with you are brought to fore and we will fulfill our promises that we have given”.