The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has announced a major shake-up as its president, Tonobok Okowa, dissolved all sub-committees during an executive board meeting on Saturday.
This decision led to the sack of the federation’s Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku and the head of the technical sub-committee.
Onikeku’s dismissal comes in the wake of his indictment by a Ministerial Investigative Committee set up by former Sports Development Minister, John Owan Enoh.
The committee probed Nigeria’s mishandling of the Paris 2024 Olympic preparations, particularly the failure to register Favour Ofili for the 100m event.
The committee faulted Onikeku for not acting on a “hint” and “rumor” he received about Ofili’s omission, deeming it poor judgment. Onikeku, who is also a Chief Superintendent of Customs, admitted he refrained from reporting the issue to avoid potential conflicts.
Similarly, the AFN Secretary General, Rita Mosindi, was also indicted for negligence.
The investigative panel criticised her reliance on WhatsApp for official communication and her inability to substantiate claims about submitting vital registration documents for Ofili.
Mosindi had earlier been flagged by an AFN audit committee in October 2023 for inefficiency and unauthorised spending.
The audit committee called for her redeployment and a refund of improperly allocated funds.
While no official reason was given for dissolving the committees, insiders believe it is tied to the high-profile indictments.
This development signals a significant effort to address administrative lapses and restore credibility to Nigerian athletics.
