Athletics reporters berate Mumuni Alao led panel recommendations on Team Nigeria outing at Paris 2004
Athletics reporters, who are members of a WhatsApp Group called the ‘AFN Media’ on Monday rubbished the report of Mumini Alao-led investigative panel set up by former minister of sports John Enoh to investigate Team Nigeria's poor performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The panel amongst other recommendations wants the Athletics Federation Nigeria (AFN) to pay Favour Ofili the sum of $5000 for the emotional trauma she suffered after her name was omitted from the 100m event at the games.
Said one, “As far as I am concerned, the Investigative Committee headed by Mumuni Alao has no legal backing. Enoh former minister set it up to retire the Paris Olympic fund”.
Another wrote, “It is shocking that after over 30 years in this business, Alao fell for Enoh's trap. This is a matter of common sense, not lawyers matter.” This was in response to a member who wanted to know if Alao’s panel has legal backing.
And one said, “The minister is the main man who is guilty in this matter. How could a farmer dabble into sports issues and after making a mess of it, he set up a panel of non-athletics personnel to nail the federation? Who does that?’’
Another posited that Enoh set up the panel to, “Dodged the real issue of why we failed to win a medal and recommend what's to be done.”
The committee was set up to investigate the various unwanted incidents that occurred within Team Nigeria’s camp at the 2024 Paris Olympics the bicycle saga of Ese Ukpesenraye, the Boxing dope issue, the non-registration of Ofili for the 100 m women event, and the total cause of no medal showing of Team Nigeria despite the projection of 10 medals before the start of the games.
According to the investigation of the panel, the AFN must pay Ofili a consequence of their negligence over the omission of her name
“The Committee takes the view that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria is vicariously indicted in the Ofili issue and should pay compensation to the athlete as a collective responsibility of the organization. We view this monetary compensation as a symbolic gesture for sports officials and federations to know that there will be consequences for their actions beginning from now.
” This is particularly so for the AFN some of whose athletes were disqualified from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due again to some tardiness on the part of the federation,”
The panel was unable to link Ofili’s exclusion to any particular name or officials in the AFN however Secretary General of AFN, Rita Mosindi, and the Technical Director of AFN, Samuel Onikeku were indicted and recommended sanctions for their roles in Ofili missing the 100m event.
The recommendation read ‘ “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” that he heard about the non-registration of Ofili for the 100m event., emphasising that the sanctions are for his poor judgment on the matter.
In the case of the Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi the panel recommended for reads:
“ 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, Ofili in the 100m, to the NOC.”
This recommendation is subject to ratification by the Federal Government through the revamped National Sports Commission.
