By Uzor Odigbo
Athletics stakeholders in Kwara state say the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, failed to follow its own rules in the suspension of the Kwara State Athletics Association following reports one of its coaches, Hammid Muritala, was banned for 10 years by the National Anti-doping Commission.
Some of the stakeholders who begged not to be named for fear of victimisation say the AFN constitution stipulates procedures to be followed but which the national governing body has ignored.
‘We have been reading in the media allegations that the AFN has been turned into the private property of just a few but we didn’t think much about it until the illegal suspension of our association,’ says one of the stakeholders who is a coach.
‘We have a copy of the AFN constitution and the procedure therein negates what has been done,’ added another, an ex-athlete.
‘The AFN constitution says in article 19 that only the board of the federation has the power to suspend but in the letter sent to Kwara State Athletics Association chairman on June 16 and signed by Rita Moshindi, the AFN Secretary General, it was clear there was no board meeting prior to the issuance of the suspension letter.
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‘A few of the board members who are loyal to the President (Tonobok Okowa) told us the board has not met in the last two months. So, who directed the Secretary-General to write the suspension letter,’ he asked.
Yet another stakeholder, a journalist who lives in Ilorin told our correspondent on the phone that AFN is becoming notorious for violating its own constitution.
‘We first read about signing a contract without the board members’ knowledge. We also heard about convening a congress without following the procedure clearly
stated in the constitution. We now have a suspension of a member association done at the behest of the President without the approval of the board,’ he said.
Continuing, the journalist says the AFN constitution makes it mandatory for the member association to be notified of the offence it has committed and a 21
day notice is given for the said association to respond before any action can be taken.
‘Article 19.3 is very clear on this and how the 21-day period can be reduced,’ he said and added article 19.2 does not provide for an indefinite suspension
as inferred from the letter to Kwara Athletics Association.
‘Article 19.2 says the period of provisional suspension imposed by the board under article 19.1 shall be a fixed period decided by the board.’
‘Is the AFN hiding something with the way it has gone about the suspension without following its own rules? Is there a cover-up of sorts and is the illegal suspension meant to hoodwink the Athletics Integrity Unit that the federation is up and doing and does not condone Anti-doping violations?
‘Is it not the same AFN that led Nigeria to be categorised as a high-risk doping nation? I think the AFN needs to know its constitution is not for window dressing but a guiding document on how the federation should and must be governed,’ he concluded
