A Ministerial Committee chaired by former Sports Minister John Enoh has uncovered serious administrative flaws within the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN). A key finding includes the failure to register Favour Ofili for the women’s 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Team Nigeria’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was disappointing, as the team secured no medals and faced numerous challenges. A major controversy arose from Favour Ofili’s absence from the women’s 100-meter race, despite her qualification. Her name was omitted from Nigeria’s official registration list due to a misunderstanding between the AFN and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ofili expressed her frustration on social media upon discovering her exclusion from the 100 meters, recalling her disappointment over missing the Tokyo Olympics due to similar administrative errors.
Additionally, there was an incident where Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye had to borrow a bicycle from the German team to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a report released on Monday, Mumini Alao, the committee chairman, presented the findings and recommendations from their investigation. The committee noted that “conflicting evidence” suggests the omission of Ofili’s name can be traced back to one of the following organisations: the AFN, NOC, World Athletics (WA), or the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The committee has recommended sanctions for Rita Mosindi, the Secretary-General of the AFN, and Samuel Onikeku, the Technical Director, due to their roles in Ofili’s omission from the 100m event. They stated, regarding Onikeku, “The Technical Director of the federation, Samuel Onikeku, should be sanctioned by the AFN Board of which he is a member.” Onikeku is being recommended for sanction for not reporting the “hint” and “rumours” he received regarding Ofili’s non-registration, reflecting poor judgment on his part.
Similarly, the committee has recommended sanctions for Rita Mosindi. They noted, “The Secretary-General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi, should be penalized by the appropriate authority for negligence in her duties. She was unable to provide convincing evidence to our committee to support her claim that she submitted important documents related to the registration of Favour Ofili in the 100m to the NOC.”
The committee emphasised that Ofili’s situation could have been resolved if Onikeku had acted promptly on the information he received.
They recommended that the AFN compensate Ofili with N8 million for the disappointment and distress she suffered due to her omission from the event. Additionally, the committee urged Ofili to reflect on her overall attitude to foster better relationships with co-athletes and officials.
Furthermore, the investigative committee mandated cyclist Ukpeseraye to write a formal apology to the Nigeria Cycling Federation (NCF) for “the embarrassment that she caused the Federation and the Nigerian contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games” due to an unauthorized post on social media regarding the bicycle she used during her cycling event.
The committee also provided a roadmap for restoring integrity in Nigerian sports, emphasising that “central to the problems of Nigerian sports is inadequate funding and untimely release of funds by the government for preparation and participation at major international sports events.” They recommended that the Ministry of Sports Development adopt a more private-sector-led approach to address the substantial funding gap in Nigerian sports.
The funds raised should be allocated towards revitalising Sports Zonal Offices for grassroots development, infrastructure development, training of technical and administrative personnel, early preparation and support for athletes, and providing incentives for outstanding athletes.
