National Senior women’s handball player, Isoken Nosa-Odia revealed that athletes were instructed by top officials of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports not to grant interviews to journalists at the 2019 African Games camp, in a bid to conceal the ills going on.

This is coming on the heel of youths in Nigeria calling for an end to bad governance in the country.

Nosa Odia said most athletes would have given journalists audience in camp but they were afraid of being ejected.

She called on members of the fourth realm to come to the aide of athletes and rescue them from the shackles of their oppressors.

She said, “The first address we got from our officials in camp was that we have been instructed not to grant any form of interviews or post anything about the camping on any social media platforms.

“If you noticed, athletes were dodging and avoiding journalists during the camping because of this directive.

“Sports in Nigeria must change and that is why I am calling on journalists who are the watchdog of the society to help the athletes.”

She alleged that some senior officials of the sports ministry who brought their family and friends to the 2019 African Games got more funds than the athletes themselves.

Nosa-Odia said overseas athletes had to agitate for their professional grants.

“Individuals who had no business in Morocco for the 2019 African Games with the help of officials of the Ministry of Sports benefited more than the athletes and bought so many things. We had to agitate for our professional grants to be paid to us as international players, this money was available. How long do we have to keep silence?” she queried.

  African Games, Handball, Isoken Nosa-Odia, Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare