Special sport Athletes kick against Ebewele

The race for the seat of the President of the Special Sports Federation of Nigeria (SSFN), took a different dimension today April 15, 2005 when placard-carrying special athletes wheeled into the National Stadium complex, Lagos Nigeria, chanting war songs and telling anyone who cared to give them a listen, that they do not want Brown Ebewele as their President.

The athletes heaped allegations ranging from cheating to inhumanity against special sports athletes on the Edo Juju man. According to the raging athletes, the Edo State Sports Director has nothing good for them. “We do not want Ebewele even on the board of the SSFN; He should go to where he truly belongs; Tell him to pay us our monies owed us by his State; No, no, no, we do not want Brown” read some of the placards.

They alleged that after working for Edo State and doing their best to ensure victory for his State, Brown discarded them and refused to pay them their salaries. But in a swift reaction, Ebewele, who stands accused by the special athletes, told nigeriasports.com in a telephone interview that all the athletes said, were lies. This is Brown’s defence:

“All what the special athletes said were lies. Neither my State nor I, Brown Ebewele is owing any of them any money. It is true that some of them were employed by the Edo State Sports Council, where I direct affairs,” Ebewele conceded.

“But”, he continued, “no sooner were they given their employment letters, than they wheeled back to their respective bases, only to re- appear in Benin City to collect their salaries at the end of the month,” he explained.

The self-acclaimed Juju man was not through: “We allowed this trend to continue thinking that with time, they would be able to come to terms with the sociological demands of a change of environment.

“But to our greatest shock, there was no change in their attitude to work. At the end of each month, they travel from their bases to Benin to collect salaries for doing no jobs for the State at all. How can one be working in Benin, live in Lagos permanently, and at the end of every month, you go to Benin for monies for which you did no work.? Brown wondered aloud.

According to Brown, these group of special athletes are the ones who are protesting his candidature “They know that I do not stand for unjust courses; they know too well that their (the protestants’) days of doing whatever they like and at whatever time, are over with my coming,” Brown declared.