Eleven years after winning Nigeria’s only gold medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, Paralympic champion Lauritta Onye has reopened a long running dispute over an alleged unpaid ₦2 million cash reward, accusing former Minister of Youth and Sports Development Solomon Dalung of failing to fulfil a presidential pledge.
The Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medallist claimed the money, allegedly approved during a presidential reception hosted by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, was never paid despite repeated assurances that it would be.
Speaking about the matter, Onye said the reward comprised ₦1.1 million for herself and ₦900,000 for her late coach, Patrick Anaeto, following her gold medal-winning performance in Doha.
“The money is ₦2 million, ₦1.1 million for me and ₦900,000 for my coach,” Onye said.
“It was the money awarded to me by the late President Buhari for winning gold at the 2015 World Championship.”
Onye produced one of Nigeria’s finest performances at the IPC World Championships in Doha, winning the women’s F40 shot put title with a throw of 7.72 metres. Her nearest challenger, Lara Baars of the Netherlands, threw 6.80m, setting a European record but finishing well behind the Nigerian.
According to Onye, although her name appeared in the official programme during the January 21, 2016 presidential reception in Abuja, she left with nothing more than a handshake while other Nigerian athletes and coaches reportedly received cash rewards.
She recalled confronting Dalung during Nigeria’s training camp ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where she said the minister assured her the payment would be made.
“When I was in camp for the Rio 2016 Paralympics, the minister came and I asked him about the money,” Onye said.
“He promised that I was going to be paid in Brazil.”
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The Paralympian said officials later suggested paying her in Brazil while her coach would receive his share after returning to Nigeria, but she declined, insisting both payments should be transferred directly into their bank accounts like those of other beneficiaries.
“I refused, asking that the money be paid directly into our accounts like every other beneficiary,” she explained.
She alleged that after returning from the Paralympics she repeatedly contacted Dalung through phone calls and text messages but received no response.
“As soon as we returned, I started calling and sending him messages, but he never responded,” Onye said.
“There was even a time I saw him at the National Stadium in Lagos. He again asked me to call him, but he never picked my calls or replied to my messages.”
Dalung, however, strongly rejected Onye’s account, insisting he was unaware of any approved cash reward for the athlete during the 2016 ceremony.
“Only the Golden Eaglets were given cash; others received presidential handshakes,” Dalung said.
“I don’t know of any athlete that got cash gifts.”
The former minister also distanced himself from the administration of athlete payments, arguing that financial matters were handled by civil servants rather than the minister’s office.
“In any case, I have no business with financial administration,” he said.
“That is the responsibility of the accounting officer, the Permanent Secretary and the federation.”
Dalung also denied recalling any promise to Onye regarding the alleged payment and questioned whether any official documentation existed to support her claim.
However, records from the January 2016 presidential reception indicate that the Federal Government recognised and rewarded several Nigerian athletes and teams, including the victorious 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winning Golden Eaglets, members of the national powerlifting team, wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye, scrabble world champion Wellington Jighere and Nigeria’s Under-16 women’s basketball team.
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The conflicting accounts have left unanswered questions over whether Onye’s alleged cash reward was formally approved but never processed, or whether no such payment was authorised in the first place.
With the former Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development now replaced by the National Sports Commission, attention has shifted to whether official records can establish exactly which athletes were approved for financial rewards at the 2016 presidential reception.
