President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday warned against the misuse of funds provided for Team Nigeria representing the country at the Olympics scheduled to hold in Brazil.
Buhari issued the warning while unveiling the qualified athletes at the Old Banquet of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to him, the warning was imperative in lieu of the Nigeria’s dwindling revenue and the current global economic challenges.
The president also asked all Nigerian officials who have no business at the Rio Games to stay at home to cheer the team.
According to the president, if those officials must travel to the Olympic Games, they should do so at their own expenses.
“In this regard, any official who has no business at the Games should stay at home to cheer the team from here and if they must travel to the Olympics, they should do so at their own expense,”.
Buhari said his administration was fully committed to the Nigeria’s delegation’s successful participation in the Rio Olympics.
He also assured that the federal government would ensure that funds budgeted for the Games were released without further delay.
The president also urged the team to keep the country’s integrity of intact by competing clean and fair.
He said: “You are very aware of recent doping allegations which cast aspersions not only on the individual athletes but on their home countries. Please keep Nigeria clean.
“The menace of drug use in sports is threatening the core foundation of sports and has led to embarrassing situations as well as sanctions of some great sporting nations.
“As the Federal Government formally hands over our athletes and officials for the Rio, I want to charge all athletes and team officials going to the Olympic Games to be worthy ambassadors of our great country, both on the field of play and outside the sporting arena. The eyes of the global community are on you and as such, you should desist from acts that could dent the image of our great country, Nigeria”.
Buhari charged the team to bring as many medals back home as a result of their efforts and endeavour.
He, however, reminded that “it is more important to compete and acquit Nigeria as a fair sporting nation than to bring a pack of medals as a result of bending the rules and denying the games of fair competition.”
Earlier, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalong, had promised Buhari that Team Nigeria would perform well at the Olympics Games.
“We will win medals without cutting corners, we will excel without cheating,” Dalong promised.
The minister commended the President for his support despite economic hardship.
He said Team Nigeria represented the best that Nigeria could muster both at home and abroad, saying athletes were picked strictly on the basis of competence.
“The athletes are roaring to go and determined to do the country proud,” he added.
The President of NOC, Mr. Habu Gumel, also promised Buhari that the athletes would be worthy ambassadors of the nation at the Games.
He said team members would abstain from acts capable of tarnishing the image of the country as discipline would be their watchword.
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