[By Abigail Philip David]
A Federal Government investigative committee has found the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) responsible for Favour Ofili’s non-registration in the women’s 100-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, contributing to Nigeria’s disappointing performance.
Despite Nigeria’s participation from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the nation left the Paris Games without any medals, with controversies surrounding Ofili’s exclusion from the 100m race and cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye’s social media post revealing she borrowed a track bike from the German team to compete.
In a report released Monday, Committee Chairman Mumini Alao traced Ofili’s omission to lapses within the AFN, Nigeria Olympic Committee, World Athletics, and the International Olympic Committee. The report specifically criticized AFN Secretary-General Rita Mosindi for “negligence in communicating Ofili’s event status” to both the Ministry of Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Committee in a timely manner.
The committee also faulted AFN Technical Director Samuel Onikeku, citing “poor judgment” for failing to act on early hints of Ofili’s non-registration. The report suggested that Onikeku’s inaction might have prevented corrective measures before the race.
The committee recommended penalties for the responsible officials and advised that the AFN compensate Ofili with N8 million for the “disappointment and emotional distress” caused by her omission.
Regarding Ukpeseraye’s case, the committee advised her to issue a formal apology to the Nigeria Cycling Federation (NCF) and the Nigerian contingent, citing “embarrassment” caused by her post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) about the borrowed track bike.
The report was submitted to the now-defunct Ministry of Sports Development on October 22, just one day before President Tinubu dissolved the Ministry, transferring its responsibilities to the National Sports Commission, now led by Shehu Dikko.
