Deaf athletes protest over alleged exclusion from NSF in Benin

Picture of the protesting Deaf Athletics at the NUJ press Centre on Monday.

By Editor

October 17, 2022

The Edo State chapter of the  Deaf Athletics  Association Association on Monday protested against their alleged  exclusion from the forthcoming National Sports Festival (NSF) in Asaba.

The athletics in their numbers stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) with placards with different inscriptions.

The protesters, urged president Muhammadu Buhari and the minister of  Youths and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare to give  them chance in  the forthcoming  National Sports Festival (NSF) in Asaba as a parting gift of its administration.

Dr Sunny Aimufua, Head Coach, Deaf Sports in Edo, who led the protest said the Ministry's decision was discriminatory.

"The protest is on, because the deaf have been excluded from the forthcoming National Sports Festival and our athletics, made optional sport, which should not be so. 

"We have Ministry Youths and Sports Development. You cannot be talking of development when you have optional sports.

" On behalf of the stakeholders, we appeal for the redemption of the Nigerian Deaf Sports as well as its inclusion in the National Sports Festival tagged "Asaba 2022 and National Youth Games as a parting gift from this government to the Nigerian Deaf persons.

" Omitting deaf sports from the national sports festival and the national youth games means that your administration's achievements so far will be a failure by segregating against these group of Nigerians.

"Also, we have three major sports committee in the world, the IOC (International Olympic Committee), International Paralympic Committee and the Committee of Sports.

 

"Now the Ministry have favoured the two other while we are being neglected", he said.

Aimufua noted that a sport could only become optional when there were no facilities for that sports. 

According to him, in this case, the deaf athletes could use the tracks in stadia across the country.

"If you have a place for Athletics Federation of Nigeria para athletics, why won't you have a place for deaf athletics.

"Ministry of Youth and Sports Development should stop playing politics with the deaf sport athletes who are different kind of persons and need to be encouraged. 

"They have been training and some of them are employed by the states," he added.

Also speaking through an interpreter, Assurance Omoria, who said she is the current African champion in deaf long jump queried how she would further her career if not allowed to participate at the sports festival.

Omoria said she was promoted from Grade Level five to 12 by Governor Godwin Obaseki based on recommendation, arising from her exploit at the African Championship.

 "I have proved my mettle in competitions. What we want the ministry to do is to restore deaf sport to its permanent status and ensure that the athletes participate at the NSF in Delta", she stated.