Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has strongly criticized the Kano State Government for what he described as inadequate compensation offered to families of athletes who died while representing the state.

The Kano State Government recently announced a donation of ₦1 million each to families of 22 athletes who lost their lives in a tragic motor accident. The athletes were returning from the National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta, Ogun State when the incident occurred.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, Sani expressed his dissatisfaction with the amount, stating: "One million for each of the deceased athletes is not enough. Kano is rich enough to do more than that. The deceased died in active service."

The former lawmaker emphasized that the state has sufficient resources to provide more substantial support to the bereaved families, particularly considering that the athletes died while representing Kano State in an official capacity.

The tragic accident has drawn reactions from prominent figures across Nigeria. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also mourned the deceased athletes and called for stricter safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In response to the tragedy, the Kano State Government declared Monday as a public holiday to mourn the deceased athletes. President Bola Tinubu described the accident as "devastating" in his condolence message.

The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the welfare of athletes representing states and the nation, as well as road safety measures for traveling sports contingents.