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A three-day workshop organized by the Small And
Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria, in Abeokuta, Ogun
State, was disrupted at the weekend as participants engaged each other
in a brawl over the alleged smuggling of ghost participants’ names into
the payment list by the organizers.

Trouble broke out at the end of the workshop, held at the Iwe-Iroyin
Press Centre, when the participants, drawn from all local government
areas in the state, were collecting their transport fare back to their
various destinations. While the disbursement of the money was being
carried out, some participants from the Ijebu axis of the state said
they observed that some names on the participants list include those
who failed to attend the workshop.

They, therefore, accused the
organizers of plotting to pocket the extra money. The participants
stated that there was no basis for the organizers to budget fares for
those not present at the programme, and demanded that the excess funds
be shared evenly among the remaining people. Similarly, they also
protested what they alleged were discrepancies in the disbursement of
the fare. The protest and name-callings lasted for about one hour
before it was brought under control. The organizers refused to comment
on the protest.