The Director of the National Sports Authority, Joe Kpenge, has revealed that his outfit has not been given its budgetary allocation this year by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper, announced when he read the 2014 Budget Statement in 2013 that an amount of GHC 3.3 million would be given to the National Sports Authority to be shared among the 33 sporting disciplines for this year.
However, according to Mr. Kpenge who was speaking at Tuesday’s sitting of the Justice Dzamefe Commission of Inquiry the NSA is yet to receive a pesewa of this amount and he added that the situation was the same last year and now, the NSA has been saddled with a lot of legal matters rising out of its indebtedness to the many service providers it had engaged in recent months.
Joe Kpenge: “My Lord, as we sit here, no money has been released to the Sports Authority from its allocation for the whole year and we are in the fourth quarter.”
Justice Dzamefe: “You have not received anything?”
Joe Kpenge:”We have not received anything.”
Commissioner Moses Foh-Amoaning: “Is that distinct from the Commonwealth Games?”
Joe Kpenge: “Yes. All those monies are stuck at the Ministry of Finance as far as I am aware. No money has been released and none too has been released for infrastructural development as we sit here today. No association has been given any money”
Commissioner Moses Foh-Amoaning: “So how do they get the money to do the things we hear them doing? For instance, how did you fund yourselves for the Commonwealth Games?”
Joe Kpenge:”The Ministry found money from its own coffers to pay part of the allowances of the athletes and the officials. So, all those who provided services to the nation in Ghana and in Scotland have not been paid.”
Commissioner Moses Foh-Amoaning: “So that could be a judgement debt?”
Joe Kpenge:”Yes. In fact, you may have read in the papers that we have been dragged to court.”
Justice Dzamefe: “The National Sports Authority? Dragged to court?”
Joe Kpenge:”Yes,my Lord. In fact, some others have already done so, the judgements have been secured but we are yet to pay.”
Justice Dzamefe: “With interest?”
Joe Kpenge:”Of course, my Lord and some are writing threatening letters. We have received eight of such letters and we have a pending judgement against us compelling us to pay our bills.”
Mr. Kpenge’s revelation concerning the lack of funds for infrastructure is in sharp contrast to the plans highlighted in the 2014 Budget Statement to “expedite action on the construction of a Modern Boxing Gym at Bukom, the rehabilitation of the Accra, Baba Yara, Essipong and Tamale Sports Stadia, and preparatory works for the construction of 10 Sports Senior High Schools in all the regional capitals and district sports arenas.”
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By: Nathan Quao/citifmonline.com/Ghana