Drama unfolded, yesterday, at the Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, which is the Games Village of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, when athletes representing the hosts, Ogun State, blocked the school’s entrance protesting alleged non-payment of their allowances.

  The protesting athletes did not allow anybody to either enter or leave the camp, a development that affected events scheduled to be held in the morning.

   Speaking to The Guardian, some of the aggrieved athletes said that none of them had received any form of instant reward or allowance since the commencement of the games.

  Their frustration, they said, was further fueled by unmet expectations following Governor Dapo Abiodun’s pre-festival pledge of N2.5 million for gold medallists, N1.5 million for silver, and N1 million for bronze medallists that are representing the state.

   The protesting athletes claim that none of them had received the N50,000 appearance fee promised by the Ogun State government to each athlete representing the state.

  “No one has received any instant reward,” one of the protesting athletes said while expressing frustration over what he described as neglect despite the athletes’ commitment to their home state.

  To resolve the standoff, Dr. Ademola Are, a member of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF), held talks with the protesting athletes at the main gate of Babcock University.