The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Tonobok Okowa, has clarified that the recent dissolution of the Federation’s standing sub-committees does not affect the roles of Technical Director Samuel Onikeku and Performance Director Victor Okorie at the federation.
This decision to dissolve all committees comes in the wake of his indictment by a Ministerial Investigative Committee set up by former Sports Development Minister, John 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.
However, speaking after the AFN’s decision to dissolve its committees on Saturday, Okowa stated that both officials would continue to serve in their respective capacities ahead of the federation’s congress where key decisions are expected to be discussed.
He said: “We are preparing for our congress soon, and Onikeku and Victor Okorie will remain in their positions as Technical Director and Performance Director, respectively—not as chairmen of their committees.
“Yes, all AFN standing committees have been dissolved, but Onikeku and Okorie will continue to function in their roles as Directors. They are board members of the Federation, and we need them to present their scorecards during the Congress.”
