The 2022 National Sports Festival has been fixed to hold from November 28 to December 10 in Asaba, Delta State.

The aggrieved athletes, who stormed the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos in their hundreds as early as 6 am locked up the exit and entrance gates of the stadium to prevent staff of the sports ministry from gaining access into the sports complex.

They also  prevented vehicles using the ever busy Funsho Williams Road, Surulere, Lagos from having assess to the road  and the arrival of the policemen from Barrack Police Station and the appeal by the Liason officer of the ministry Nkana Nbora could prevail on them as the went on with their protest for more than five hours.

The aggrieved athletes described the decision of the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare to remove Para and deaf athletes from the coming sports festival as act of hatred and segregation at the highest level.

They displayed placards with various statement which read: We need equal right, We’re human beings just like you. Stop the discrimination.

People with disabilities in this country deserve a better life.Do not send us to the streets, It’s high time the Ministry pay more attention to para sports, We cannot be used and dumped in this country, Sunday Dare you’re our father, please treat us equal; do the right thing, deaf athletes have been participating in Sports Festival since 1996, why removing it now, our records for this country speak for us and  President Buhari call the Minister to order and many more’

There protest caused heavy traffic in the ever busy road which left many people stranded for hours.

Speaking to our correspondent, a representative of deaf athletes, Nurudeen Olayiwola Badmus explained that it’s wrong for the Sports Ministry to brand some sports optional noting that all sports should be compulsory to give everybody a sense of belonging.

According to him, deaf athletes have been participating in the National Sports Festival since 1996 and have won many medals for the country at the Deaflympics Games and wondered why they should be denied participation in a festival that is held every two years.

He called for Presidential intervention because they have been training for the festival and looking forward to be in Delta State to represent their various state before the unfortunate announcement which he believes is capable of negatively affecting the development of the country’s sports.

Meanwhile, President of Deaf Sports Federation of Nigeria Alhaji Suleiman Dagbo Saka has lamented the inability of the Sports Ministry to come out  clean on the issue noting that he sent a letter to the Ministry as requested but up till the time of filling this report.   nothing has come out of it.

Akambi Kazeem a Wheelchair tennis player expressed shock that the Sports Ministry invited some neighbouring countries to be part of the festival while preventing special athletes from participating in it saying; that’s a sign that the government does not care for it’s citizens.

” It’s very sad that we’ve been training for many months now for the Sports Festival, only for the the Ministry to delist our sports from the festival. The most annoying thing is that they went ahead to invite athletes of some  neighbouring West African countries to be part of the Games while shutting us out which is segregation of the highest order.

” Many of us have won laurels for the country and depend on sports to take care of our family and personal needs  and that’s why we’re appealing to President Mohammadu Buhari to intervene and call the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare to order.

In his own remarks, Olasupo Temitope, a Swimming/ Para Canoeing athlete noted that by the unpopular action, the Sports Ministry is not encouraging special athletes not minding the medals they’ve won for the country at both the Commonwealth and Olympics Games.

” Sports Minister, Sunday Dare and the organisers of the National Sports Festival by their action have shown they’re not interested in developing special sports in the country. How can one explain that Nigerian athletes will be prevented from participating in the biggest sporting event in the country while athletes from other countries will be invited to be part of the event. “This amounts to insensitivity and must be checked because it not only discourages us from participating in sports but make us feel we’re second class citizens in.our country.

“You should also understand that most of us are unemployed and depend solely on sports for survival and that’s why we are rejecting the discrimination.