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Ikenna Ngere
Guest
A federal government committee has pinpointed officials from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) whose lapses resulted in Favour Ofili‘s exclusion from the women’s 100 meters event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The investigative panel was established in September by then-Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, to examine Nigeria’s disappointing experience at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
Nigeria’s performance at the Games was marked by a lack of medals and multiple controversies. Ofili’s exclusion from the 100 meters race, despite her qualification, was a major issue.
Additionally, Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye revealed she had to borrow a track bike from the German team to participate in the Keirin cycling event.
The committee, chaired by Mumini Alao, submitted its findings and recommendations in a report presented on October 22.
According to the document, “conflicting evidence” showed that the omission of Ofili’s name “is traceable to any one of the following organisations: Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), World Athletics (WA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”
The report specifically criticized Secretary General of AFN, Rita Mosindi, for “negligence in her duty” by failing to properly communicate Ofili’s event status to the Ministry of Sports Development and the NOC.
It also noted that AFN Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, displayed “poor judgment” by not promptly addressing the rumor of Ofili’s non-registration, suggesting the situation might have been averted had he acted sooner.
As part of the committee’s recommendations, it urged penalties for the responsible officials. It also suggested that AFN compensate Ofili with N8 million for the “disappointment and distress” caused by her exclusion from the event.
Furthermore, the report recommended that cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye issue a formal apology to the Nigeria Cycling Federation (NCF) for the “embarrassment” caused by her social media post about the borrowed bicycle.
The report was initially submitted to the Ministry of Sports on October 22, just before the ministry was dissolved by President Bola Tinubu, with its responsibilities reassigned to the newly re-established National Sports Commission (NSC).
Enoh officially handed over the report to Shehu Dikko, the new chair of the NSC, on October 30.
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