LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

Federal Government has graciously approved N19.75 million for a 19-man National Institute for Sports (NIS) contingent to embark on trip to London for the 2012 Olympic Games billed for July.

Although the Director of the Institute, Dr Sunny Ikhioya, had earlier appealed to the National Assembly to come to its aids in improving its insufficient budgetary allocation, the institute's 2012 allocation made available to Daily Sunsports in Abuja, revealed that it has earmarked the sum to bankroll the trip to London.

Breaking the contingents into three categories, the document revealed that seven key officials comprising the director, registrar, bursar, and four heads of departments, eight principal lecturers and co-ordinator of athletes development, and four political members of the board would embark on the trip.

Air tickets and Escacode for the seven principal officers would gulp N6.020 million, while the institute would spend N6.156 million on other eight principal lecturers, just as the politicians and contingency would take N7.558 million.

The amount was entirely different from the N19.408 million the government approved for the leadership of the institute as local and international travels for the year, from the staggering N99 million it initially proposed.

It would be recalled that Daily Sunsports had earlier reported that the director was unlucky, as his N13 million request for internet access charges and medical expenses was bluntly turned, forcing him to depend on the N3.56 million approved for Information Technology consulting and drugs & medical supplies from the N25 million he originally requested.

The document also revealed that there would be no blackout this year, as the Federal Government and National Assembly have generously voted more than N3.94 million for the maintenance of plants and generators and N2.99 million for electricity charges from the N13 million it requested.