 Welcome back, it's still the breakfast and plus if you have got time to talk sports and we have a guest audience standby, let's quickly inform you that the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has budgeted a whopping 1.480 billion in the 2023 appropriation bill or we should say the 20.23 appropriation act to take care of the refreshment and meals, settlement of honorarium, settlement allowances, publicity, welfare packages for the eggheads and other miscellaneous items in the Ministry of Sports, that's in the 2023 budget. Now the amount is part of a 193 billion, 418 million, 82,888 Naira allocated to the Ministry from the 21.83 trillion Naira appropriation act passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Muhammad Buhari recently. Excuse me, the breakdown of the amount shows that the sum of 26.1 million Naira was allocated to refreshments and meals while 140 million Naira would be spent on, will be spent on welfare packages. The Ministry also airmarked 20.5 million Naira for honorariums and sitting allowances, 2.3 million Naira for postage and courier services, 4.7 million Naira for medicals, 10.2 million Naira for subscription to professional buddies, 71.6 million Naira for monitoring activities and follow-up and 1.12 billion Naira for sporting activities and other miscellaneous expenses. Now are these expenses out of place? We have joining us to discuss this sports journalist and analyst, Monday Thomas, who joins us live from Vazum from the capital of Aqaibom state will you Monday, very good morning to you and permitting to say happy New Year, since this is the first time we're seeing this year. Kofi, I'm excited to be talking to you this morning. Happy New Year to you. I think it's my first broadcast on post theory Africa. Thank you so much for having me. So straight up to your question is this spending out of place? For so many people, it's a little bit too much, especially for the refreshment and meals, which is about 26 million just like you rightly informed us. I mean, when you take a look at how things are in this country, the economic problems and the economic crisis, the inflation and what you have there, the full pump price and everything that is not going right in the country. So let's be in sports right now. If you take a look at the past right in the over the years for the Super Eagles and Nigerian sports here in the country, the people who are making us happy as far as sports is concerned, the likes of Atopia Mohsen, they're not Nigerian training. And you can see that nothing that we are really doing in this country is really working for us as far as sports is concerned. We take a look at the NPFL. There's no fixed price for the NPFL winners. Nothing is really working. And then what are we having right now out of the 21 trillion trillionaire on the budget, maybe a profession passed by our very own president. And now we have about 1.4 billion allocated to settlement on the radium and as well as refreshment. If we take a look at the activities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, they do a whole lot. I mean, for players or for athletes who do greatly in whatever event they go out for, they come back home and the Ministry of Youth and Sports say, all right, this group of people, they've done Nigeria proud. Let's give them some amounts, but this group of people they've done well. And also, citing of allowances, this also includes activities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for their delegates who go out there to support Nigerians all over the world and also what we are doing as far as sports is concerned. But the refreshments, I don't know what it's all about. I don't know what part of refreshments are. Money, let's get it right. This is not money going to football as it were. You know, activities under the NFF. They have money for NFF already. Am I correct? I've seen something in one of the documents. Football is the biggest sports in Nigeria. Football is the most famous one. So there will be some level, or there will be a different budget for football in Nigeria. I see 1.28 billion allocated to football. So what we're saying is that this money, if it's refreshment, people should not assume that those refreshments are for maybe when the Supragos come around or other things. This is for the sports ministry. But are we not going to, excuse me, hasty, are we not being too critical, let me say, of the Ministry of Sports? Looking at the sporting activities, things are quite expensive in the market. I don't know which big, there's a market in Uyua I know quite well. I've forgotten the name. But if you're traveling from Uyua to Calabas, a big one on the right, you know, if you go to any of the big markets in Uyua today, or in Lagos, you want to buy some wines, you know, you want to buy some ingredients to cook, you spend a lot of money. The level of inflation in this country is quite high. Do we need to really like hear NFF out, sorry, the sports ministry out to know what exactly they're talking about? Rather than to say, oh, refreshment, you spend X, Y as the amount of money, it's too much. Don't forget this is for the entire year. If we have something that we're celebrating, you know what I'm saying, coffee, no one will come out to absolutely call them out and say, hey, this is not, this is too much. But there is nothing much to celebrate. Is there anything to celebrate? But if you listened to me previously, I did not completely come out to say that this is too much. I actually listed some things that are very important, the setting of allowances, the publicity, and as well as the welfare, they need this. They need this for certain. But when it comes to refreshment, what are we refreshing? The refreshment amount is 26,156,222 Naira. 222 Naira. All right. 26 million for refreshment and meals. Maybe they will do it in hotels, they have a meeting, the whole sports ministry, the whole year. Is that too much? When they have their meetings, they pay for tea, they pay for sandwiches and all these things, you know, buffet and all those things. I would like to know as well, I mean, there are some people who want to know if they get to have this gathering every year or every month. We have 12 months in the year, 26 million is way too much. It's way too much. Considering the economic situation of the country, considering that we're still owing, I mean, lots of debt we are still with this administration, 26 million, are we having refreshment every month? Monday, we have 36 states in Nigeria. Assuming the Ministry of Sports wants to have a meeting, maybe in all the states in the FCT, which is their right, I mean, the Ministry of Sports of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And they go to say each state and they have the meeting in the hotel. And it's okay, we are going to have 30 people come, 40, 100 people come for this meeting. We want to feed them, okay, both food and drinks and tea or coffee as you want. 36 states. Let me know much. Sports is not for people who don't come around like that. People don't come around like that. What would they come around for? I mean, sports is, they could just have a meeting, a meeting, they could just have a meeting with a light cup of coffee and then cup of tea and then one goes your way. Yeah, what I'm saying that they shouldn't have any budget for refreshment and meals. Of course, people, they need to eat and have some time, but 26 million, do they get together every month? They don't get together every month. They could just gather five months in a month. Are you sure they don't have meetings every month? Are you sure? Okay, you are talking to me via Zoom. Meetings can be held via Zoom. Do they still have to celebrate or have some refreshment via Zoom? Well, what if it's not their policy? Because I'm looking, I'm dividing this, let's say they had a meeting, one meeting in all the 36 states of the Federation in the FCT. This 26, the means to spend about 700,000 on food and drinks per meeting. Is that too much? Well, that is just on the average, and that's you having a calculation that cannot be totally correct. No, no, no, no, no, no. My mother, listen to what I said. Imagine the ministry. This is a whole ministry of sports led by a former journalist, Sunday diary. Okay. And if they have a meeting in all 36 states in Nigeria, all right, in 2023, and the FCT making 37 territories, each meeting will go up about 700,000 for food and drinks. Is that too much? Oh, let's sit down. The bill is seven. I mean, Monday, I'm sure maybe as a young man, you've gone to the club before. You know how much, you know how much a bottle of these expensive Cognac costs, they want to drink that. I know you know all about those drinks. No, I didn't know. I didn't know something because I'm a journalist and I investigate from time to time. They won't really be called out if things were working again. If things are working, let's leave it out of it. If things are working in football, precisely, and also all those sports, what is really happening in channel 2023 that starts today, my insurance is not right there. It's because the administration, they've not done their very best. They have to take their own share of the blame. We didn't go to the World Cup. People will not still forget that. So if Nigerians are calling the NFF out, I don't think all the ministry of youth and sports out, they're not out of place. This people have seen that things are not working as it should in the country. And this money should be attributed to something more important. I'm not saying- So money, you want them to sit down in their meetings. For instance, now one of the drinks, these alcoholic beverages that Ubikubana and his group, they market, they be one big bottle, brown one. I know you know it, but we'll mention the name because they've not paid us for habits. It costs a lot of money. If you don't need, you can go online, you see the price. If they say that they want to have it, they want to have that one. That's a lot of money. So they can think well, you know, and bring out these policies you're talking about. That 7,000 is really small. Well, I wouldn't completely agree with you, but I'm just saying that if things are in place, then this money, people will be happy for them to have it and do whatever they want to do with it. But Nigerians call them out, they're not out of place to do so. They're not out of place to do so. And like you also listed towards the order, a part of it, the settlement on the river, I told you that there are some cases where athletes and also players go out there to represent the country, and they do great and they return home. The region of eastern sports want to do one of two things for them. We also have publicity. We also have subscription to big events. Talking about that, let's look at welfare packages. We have 140 million, okay, 140, 6608,563 million. What do they mean when they see welfare packages? That's a lot of money, 140 million. Welfare packages involve athletes and players who go out. I mean, they need to be taken care of. The hotel bills, the hotel bills for tournaments, especially if they're going for qualifiers. I know if they're going for a major tournament like, let's say, the World Alleged Championship, they'll have their own place to stay. It will be provided by the host of that particular office. But they need to have some money in their pocket. So this is how it happens. So in 2023, let's say that maybe, let's say, 100 sports are being involved in some of the events. They go out there. They need some welfare packages. They need to be taken care of. But if you're talking about welfare, aren't these agencies, don't they have these federations, sorry, and associations? Don't they have their own budgets? Therefore, meaning that the welfare of the athletes will be taken care of or catered to. Under the budget, for instance, it was the Athletics Association, the Basketball Federation, the Football Federation, that they have everything in budget. So that is already taken care of. I mean, is that the case or does the NFF have to have the money? And then if they are going or we want to travel here, they give them. We want to go here. Is that how it's done? Well, I'm sure about the NFF, like every football federation in any country gets to be allocated some funds from people. So the NFF could be different. But when it comes to the airfare, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, they don't get to have this kind of beverages. You know, football is a popular sport and for certain, it accumulates more money than any other sports in the world. So for the NFF, I'm not sure it's the same thing. They don't get some funds from, even if they do get some funds from the World Athletic Body, but it certainly will not be enough for some things. They need to still be under the Ministry of Youth and Sports. They need to also write their budget and give it to the youth and sports for some help as well. So the World Fed, I don't think it's completely out of place because it's 2023 and we have lots of sporting events. And very soon now, the Honor 20 will kick off and they will need some fundings as well. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is also coming up in the summer. They will need some funding as well. And also all the Athletic events, the Commonwealth events that will be coming up in different countries in the world, they will need some funding. So completely, the World Fed packages, I actually think that it's enough for them. 140 million, it's okay. You know, I did some little projects in school and one of the things that our president at the time used to use to chop money, I'll add in chop. One thing, the guy was president at the time, was sitting allowance. We were all looking for it, you know, a student lead. I ate a little of it, you know, but it was my right. It was my right as an Ex-Co to get that sitting allowance. But we just went to a meeting and just collected money. And it was like free money in school. So what do you think about the 20.5 million Honorarium sitting allowance? Thanks for coming. Who is getting this on the room? Who is getting this sitting allowance? Okay, that should be for delegates who of course travel with a particular team to monitor an event. So they get Honorariums. And well, we all know that this project, some of them could be over budgeted for. They could just be inflating some figures right there. We all know this is what happens in Nigeria. No one is new to that particular one. Are you alleging that these figures are inflated? There is every possibility, Kofi. Okay, okay. So because you talked about monitoring, because I'm seeing them, we have 71 million there for monitoring activities and follow-up. You know, 71 million for monitoring activities and follow-up. There we have 1.126 billion for sporting activities. 1.12. So the other ones you're hearing like the money for welfare is not for sporting activities, you know. So if you're seeing that there's 20 million for Honorarium sitting allowances, and then there is 71 million for monitoring activities and follow-up, I mean, what comes to your mind? Did you say 1.2 billion for sporting activities? 1.2 billion for sporting activities, 71.6. Sporting activities includes what goes on in the country like the National Sports Festival. The things that we do here in the country, it also includes the NPFL, the NLO, how things have been worked here in the country. Okay, so for all you've said, there's a lot to look at as far as the sports ministry is concerned with the budget and all that. I think in the coming days, in the coming days, they will maybe release a press demand because the whole talk is all over the place, and they don't need to defend themselves. All right, all right. Monday, thank you so much for your time, and we appreciate it. But you've made a very, very important allegation this morning. You said that it's possible that sports ministry has inflicted its budget. That's a new USLF, so it's something we'll have to reach out to them to get their own take on. Monday, thank you very much for your time and hope to have you some time soon. All right, thank you so much for having me, Kofi. I'll be here once again. Thank you. And that's the size of our package. We'll be back on Monday. My name is Kofi Bartels. Thanks for your time. We need to have 90s up next.