Pelican Stars players are hungry, others hospitalised over non payment of 9 months allowances.
For 9 months now, Pelican Stars female football Club of Calabar has not been paid their allowances, a situation that has caused hunger, starvation, neglect and untold hardship on the side of the girls.
On this sick bed at the Bakor Medical Centre is Miss Shola Owotunbo, a striker with Pelican Stars. She was rushed into the hospital at around 2.am Saturday morning with complicated health challenges.
When I visited her this morning, Shola told me that she could barely feed. She explained that in their camp at 8 miles, the girls can no longer afford sanitary pads and also get their essential needs because of lack of payment.
She said that their monthly allowance usually help them to attend to their medicals and also get good food to promote their nutritional value.
At the moment, Shola has no deposit to make to the hospital management in continuation of her treatment. The management of the club who have also not been paid for 9 months were running around and making calls to individuals and philanthropists to come to their aid.
Meanwhile, findings revealed that Calabar Rovers has been paid their allowances up till February 2020. Why then are the females not been cared for and their allowances paid?
At this critical point of Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has called on residents in the State to “stay at home”, but how can these girls stay at home without money and food and other essential needs. This is the second case of a Pelican Star footballer been hospitalised within one month while others are on treatment at various pharmacies close to their camp.
Dear Gov. Ayade, the salary master, please look into this direction, save the life of this girl in the hospital and also order for the immediate payment of their 9 months allowances. They deserve their wages.
I want to also use this medium to call on Non Governmental Organisations, Corporate Bodies, philanthropists and the general public to extend their hand of fellowship to the girls during this harsh period of Covid-19 pandemic where people are expected to stay at home with food and basic needs.
Mr. George Odok is a Defence Correspondent for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Cross River State.
NOTE: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, George Odok and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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