Paris 2024 Olympics: Investigative panel indicts AFN in Ofili missing 100m race
..recommends $5000 compensation for her
The investigative panel set up by the immediate past Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh to determine what led to the country’s poor showing at the Paris 2024 Olympics has indicted the Athletics Federation of Nigeria ( AFN) for negligence which led to the omission ofFavour Ofili name from the 100m race for which she was qualified
The Mumini Alao led committee recommended that the AFN should compensate the disappointed athlete, the sum of $5,000.
According to the committee, the amount 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 approval for the release of the committee’s report.
Alao’s panel also noted that 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 Committee (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”, recommended the committee.
