Abia State contingency in the just concluded National Sports Festival in Benin, Edo state are yet to receive their full payment after the sporting event, ABN TV reports.
The athletes say while other states, including Imo and Cross River are receiving between the sum of N60,000 to N88,000 aside their feeding, they (Abia) were paid a paltry N30,000 an offer they have since rejected.
ABN TV gathered that as at the moment of this report, the Abia athletes were stranded at their University of Benin hostel lodge because of non-completion of their payment.
They insist that having stayed in Edo for about 12 days, N30,000 is so a meager allowance for the period.
One of the athletes who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said since they arrived for the sporting festival, they were only given the sum of N500.
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They also claimed that the food they are fed with is not friendly to their body system.
The contingency said they want to be paid between N50,000 to N60,000 saying anything less is unacceptable.
When contacted, the Abia State Director of Sports, Isaac O. Isaac told ABN TV that the state cannot exceed its capacity in terms of what they can afford to pay.
While insisting that the state is not in competition with anyone, he claimed that the state had earlier paid N15,000 for the feeding of each athlete.
Mr. Isaac said the state has not done anything wrong in offering the sum of N30,000, adding that all fingers are not equal.