By Uzor Odigbo
Sequel to the decision taken at its executive Board meeting held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has set up a 5-man committee to raise a strong AthIetics team for the Africa Games, the World in-door Championship and the Olympics Games holding in Paris.later in the year.
A statement issued by the federation after its Virtual meeting have it that the 5-man committee would be headed by a board member, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (rtd).
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.
Their terms of reference
include, to put in a place a strong athletics team (from home and abroad) that will represent Nigeria at the Africa Games, the World In-door Championship as well as the Olympics Games in Paris. In March and July /August, 2024.
The AFN board also dissolved all its Sub-committees after serving two years as agreed at the beginning of its tenure in September, 2021.
The Board has approved its Safeguarding Policy Committee.
The AFN Board also set up a 3-man Committee to fashion out appropriate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Sub-committees, which would soon be set up by the federation.
Dr. Solomon Alao would head the committee with Mrs. Maria Wophill and Prof Emmanuel Ojeme as members.
The committee will draw up SOPs/Terms of Reference for the new Committees that will be set up as their Operational Guidelines.
The AFN Board also deliberated on the Audit Committee Report and applauded the members for their efforts.
However, the Board did not uphold a particular recommendation, which tagged the various funds loaned to the federation by the President, Chief Tonobok Okowa, as ‘donations’ and thus required him to make refund of part of his reimbursement collected.
On its part, the Board unanimously agreed that Chief Okowa should be refunded his money as soon as funds are available. This applies to all other members who loaned out funds to the Federation as well.
Regarding the Audit Committee recommendation that the Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi be removed, the Board, observed that it does not have the power to remove the Secretary General as it did not appoint her.
The Board also decided that apart from apologising both verbally and in writing to the Board, Mosindi has been under close watch and 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