A Ministerial Committee set up by former Sports Minister John Enoh has revealed significant administrative failures within the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), particularly the negligence of officials that resulted in Favour Ofili’s non-registration for the women’s 100 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
As a reminder, Team Nigeria had a disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, failing to win any medals and embroiled in multiple controversies throughout the Games.
The most notable controversy was Favour Ofili’s exclusion from the women’s 100 meters race, despite her having qualified. Her name was left off Nigeria’s official entry list due to a communication breakdown between the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ofili expressed her frustration upon discovering her exclusion from the 100 meters in Paris, especially after previously missing the Tokyo Olympics due to similar administrative errors.
“It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for 4 years to earn this opportunity. For what?” She posted on Instagram just before the sprint event began at the Olympic Games.
In a report released on Monday, Mumini Alao, the chairman of the committee, presented the findings and recommendations resulting from their investigations.
The committee stated in its findings: “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)”.
Rita Mosindi, the Secretary General of the AFN, and Samuel Onikeku, the Technical Director, were recommended for sanctions due to their roles in Favour Ofili’s omission from the 100m event.
In its recommendation to the government, the panel stated of Onikeku: “The Technical Director of the federation, Samuel Onikeku, should be sanctioned by the AFN Board of which he’s a member.” Onikeku is being recommended for sanction for not reporting the “hint” and “rumours” he heard regarding Ofili’s non-registration for the 100m event, reflecting his poor judgment in the matter.
The Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi, was also recommended for sanction. The panel stated: “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 relating to the registration of the athlete, Favour Ofili, in the 100m, to the NOC.”
The committee observed that Ofili’s situation could have been remedied if Onikeku had acted quickly on the information he received.
As a result, the committee recommended that the AFN provide Ofili with compensation of N8 million for the disappointment and distress she endured due to her exclusion from the event.