Athletics Federation of Nigeria culpable in Ofili Missing in Paris 2024 100m race

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has been indicted by an investigative panel set up on Nigeria’s negative exposure at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The Mumini Alao investigative panel set up by the former sports minister, John Owan Enoh came to the conclusion that the AFN officials were responsible for the omission of Favour Ofili’s name among the competitors of the 100m race for which she was qualified.

The committee recommended that the AFN should compensate the disappointed athlete, the sum of $5,000 or its equivalence in Nigerian currency (N8million). 

This is to take care of the disappointment and depression that the athlete suffered on account of her omission from the women’s 100 meters event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

That was the high point of the 54-page report of the panel which was to have been released last week but was put on hold owing to the change in administration of Nigerian sports governing body.

The new man on the saddle, Shehu Dikko reportedly gave apporoval for the release of the committee’s report.

 According to the report, conclusive evidence revealed that the Secretary General of the AFN, Mrs Rita Mosindi, was  negligent in her duty of communicating to the then Ministry of Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Comm ittee (NOC) information about Favour Ofili’s event status in a reliable and timely manner.

It is recommended that  Mosindi should be penalized. She is not alone. The committee also indicted the AFN technical director, Samuel Onikeku.

“Conclusive evidence also revealed that the Technical Director of AFN, Mr. Samuel Onikeku demonstrated poor judgement by neither reporting nor acting on information about the non-registration of his own athlete, Favour Ofili, for the women’s 100 meters event when he first got a “hint” of the “rumour.”

“Ofili’s situation might have been rescued if the Technical Director had reported or acted immediately on the information that he received. Mr. Onikeku should be sanctioned by the Board of AFN of which he is a member.