The federal government has registered its displeasure over the denial of visa to members of the nation’s under-17 female basketball team by Spain.
The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Solomon Dalung, expressed his displeasure while speaking with state house correspondents on Tuesday.
The minister recalled that the female basketball players had qualified in Madagascar for the Spain event but after fulfilling all visa requirements, they were denied visa.
He said that he had, earlier before coming to the Presidential Villa, visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to officially protest the treatment given to Nigeria.
He promised to carry out further investigation because the reasons given by the embassy of Spain were not genuine.
The 2016 FIBA U-17 World Championship dunked off on June 21 in Spain with Nigeria drawn in Group A with Canada, Latvia and Japan.
The Coach Adeka Daudu-led U-17 girls had qualified from the African Championship held in Madagascar in 2015.
On Nigeria’s level of preparations towards the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Minister of Sports said that Nigeria will surpass the abysmal performance it recorded in 2012.
According to him, Nigeria will feature in only eight events in the Olympic Games in Rio.
The Minister was in the Presidential Villa to get the attention of the President so that the ministry can have enough funding to prosecute the Games.