Dozens of members of the National Caterers Association of Nigeria, mostly women from across the country, staged a peaceful protest at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Thursday, alleging they were sidelined from catering contracts for the National Sports Festival, tagged “Gateway Games 2025,” scheduled to begin Friday.
The protesters, who gathered barely 24 hours to the commencement of the event, claimed they were initially enlisted by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to handle meal preparations for athletes and officials but were later abandoned without notice.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the National President of the association, Francisca Ojo, expressed deep disappointment over the alleged breach of agreement by the festival organisers.
“There was nothing like food poisoning, no bad food, and no cholera,” Ojo stated, debunking any claims of past service failures. “We thank Baba Obasanjo, who initiated this programme and gave us the grace to care for our children through this job.
She said many of the caterers were widows and breadwinners who had travelled from various states, including the Federal Capital Territory, in anticipation of fulfilling the contract.
“We submitted our profiles last year, followed every process, and were consistently assured by the LOC. As recently as last week, they contacted us again for details. We took that as confirmation and began transporting our foodstuff and equipment to Ogun State,” Ojo explained.
However, to their shock, the caterers said they learned that the contract had allegedly been awarded to Babcock University, sidelining the over 80 members present, with many others still en route to the state.
“This is our father’s land, and we are being denied. We are stranded. We have no funds to transport our goods back,” Ojo lamented, appealing directly to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene.
Another member, who identified herself as Feyi, said, “We applied, they acknowledged, and we still have our original documents.
But now we hear rumours the job has gone to someone else. That’s why we are calling out to Mr. Governor.”
According to the association, the State Commissioner addressed them briefly on Wednesday and urged patience, promising action—but nothing concrete has followed.
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