AFN set up 5-man committee for Africa Games, Olympics Games, others

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has set up a 5-man committee to raise a formidable athletics team for the Africa Games in Ghana, the World in-door Championship in Glasgow, Scotland and the Olympics Games holding in Paris.

The decision to set up the Committee was taken during the board meeting of AFN held on Saturday the 6th of January, 2024.

The 5-man committee is headed by retired Commodore Omatseye Nesiama. Other members are the Technical Director of the federation, Samuel Onikeku, Amb. Manta Haruna Mohammed, Mrs. Maria Wophill, Dr. Solomon Alao, while an official of the AFN secretariat will serve as secretary of the committee.

Terms of reference of the committee is to put in a place a formidable athletics squad (from home and abroad) to fly Nigeria’s flag at the Africa Games, the World In-door Championship as well as the Olympics Games in Paris.

The AFN board also dissolved all its committees after serving two years as agreed upon at the beginning of its tenure.

Meanwhile, the AFN board has approved its Safeguarding Policy Committee and it also set up a 3-man Committee to fashion out appropriate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the committees, which would soon be set up by the federation.

This Committee is headed by Dr. Solomon Alao, with Mrs. Maria Wophill and Prof Emmanuel Ojeme as members.

The 3-member committee is to draw up SOPs Terms of Reference for the new Committees that will be set up as their Operational Guidelines.

The Nigeria athletics governing body board also deliberated on the Audit Committee Report it set up months ago and appreciated the Committee members for their efforts.

However, the Board did not uphold the particular recommendation of the Committee, which tagged the various funds loaned to the federation by the President, Chief Tonobok Okowa and other AFN members, as ‘donations’ and thus required him to make refund of part of his reimbursement collected.

The Board unanimously agreed that Chief Okowa should be refunded his money as soon as funds is available. This applies to all other members who have loaned out monies to the Federation as well.

Regarding the Audit Committee recommendation that the Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi, be removed, the Board, stated that it does not have the power to remove the SG as it did not appoint her.

The Board also noted that besides apologizing both verbally and in writing to the Board, Mosindi has been under close watch and has been seen to be truly remorseful and demonstrated that she has changed, and ready to work with the Board to attain its ultimate goals. As such, the Board agreed to give her a severe reprimand and advised her to ‘sin no more’. Failing which the Board would be left with no option than to approach the Ministry of Sports to do the needful.

Board Members who attended the meeting held on zoom were:

1. CHIEF TONOBOK OKOWA

2. COMMODORE OMATSEYE NESIAMA (RTD)

3. AMB. MANTA HARUNA MOHAMMED

4. PROF. EMMANUEL OJEME

5. MR. SAMUEL ONIKEKU

6. DR. SOLOMON ALAO

7. MRS. MARIA WOPHILL

8. HON. YUSUF LIMAN DAHIRU (SENT AN APOLOGY FROM SAUDI ARABIA)

9. RITA MOSINDI – SECRETARY GENERAL