By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
Succour will soon come the way of Kaduna United FC and Kada Stars Basketball Club players and officials as their outstanding salaries will be paid soon, according to the Kaduna state Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Culture, Mr Daniel Dan Auta.
Mr Dan Auta, who commended management and staff of the two Kaduna state-owned teams for staving off relegation to maintain their Nationwide League and Premier League status respectively, told sports reporters in a weekly ministerial media briefing last weekend that the state government is ready to pay the five months salaries owed the Kaduna United players in 2015 and that of Kada Stars.
The Commissioner said despite meeting the challenge when he assumed office, he made effort to pay the backlog of salaries but his effort was undone by the treasury single account introduced in the state which made it difficult for them to withdraw money from their account. He said the state ministries have now been permitted to run one account which makes it possible for them to safe and withdraw money, so they would s ile the outstanding salaries for 2014 owed the two teams will be paid later.
He said that the state government has received players that hailed from the state who performed creditably well winning medals and laurels in various continental and international competitions to serve as motivation for others especially as the state prepare for the 2015 National Sports Festival scheduled for Calabar, Cross River state next month.
“The introduction of TSA scuttled the payment of their salaries which I wanted done before they went for their last match but the account has been closed hours before we reached the bank with the cheque. All theKaduna United players are owed five months salaries for the 2014/2015 season, the previous outstanding is a different issue but after resolving the current season outstanding, we would look into them as liabilities. Nobody was sacked in Kaduna United, they hqve all been asked to return to the team.
“There is a national male and female handball championship being put together by ex-handball players under the mega veterans between November 8th and 14th here in Kaduna. All states of the federation have been invited to present male and female teams for the competition,” he said.