Garden City 2011: Caterers threaten to drag LOC to EFCC

CATERERS at the 17th National Sports Festival held in Port-Harcourt June this year, have threatened to drag officials of the event's Local Organising Commettee (LOC) to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged misappropration of N24,568,000 reportedly set aside for their payment.The 27 caterers who fed officals and athletes at the festival alleged that a chairman of a sub committee who recieved the money had refused to pay them despite all entreaties made since the end of the game.Sabastine Nwajei spokesman of the caterers, in a statement issued at Agbor, Delta State, said the chairman of the committee, a woman, did not see any reason to disburse the money after two letters were written, first on July 18, by the caterers. Nwajei, said the indebtedness of the N24,568,000 made up the amount of outstanding meal tickets, food packs, water, and meals provided at the opening and closing ceremoniesNwajei pointed out that the impact of the loans most of them took from money lenders which they are unable to service had pushed them to the wall, adding that as a result, they were constrained to write to the Rivers State Governor, Deputy Governor, Secretary LOC Chairperson, catering Sub-Committee of LOC and Director of Sports.Meanwhile, the office of the River State Deputy Governor, which headed the LOC informed Tribunesport yesterday that it had not been briefed about the threat to drag officials of the games to the EFCC but maintained that the LOC made payments to caterers during the festival.An official who pleaded for anonymity however pledged that the LOC would look into the merits of the caterers' grievances.'We hosted a scandal free festival, so we shall look at it,' he said.
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