Okowa Dissolves AFN Committees But Controversy Surrounds Retention of Onikeku, Okorie

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) at the weekend dissolved all its standing committees with controversy surrounding the retention of both Samuel Onikeku as Technical Director and Victor Okolie as Performance Director.

Onikeku is one of the two AFN chiefs indicted by the panel of Injury set up by the immediate past Minister of Sports, Senator John Owan Enoh. Onikeku and Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi were indicted in their alleged complicity in the omission of sprinter Favour Ofili from the 100m event of Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

While announcing the dissolution of the committees during an executive board meeting of the federation on Saturday, President of the AFN, Tonobok Okowa, did not give any reason for the sack of the ad-hoc bodies.

In a twist to the matter, Okowa stressed yesterday that the dissolution of the various standing committees of the Federation does not affect Technical Director Samuel Onikeku and Performance Director Victor Okorie.

He said in a terse statement issued by a member of the dissolved Media and Publicity Committee, Gowon Akpodonor, that the duo of Onikeku and Okorie would continue to perform their role as Technical Director and Performance Director.

“We are preparing for our Congress soon and Onikeku and Victor Okorie will remain as Director, not as chairmen  of their committee. 

“Yes, all AFN standing committees have been dissolved, but Onikeku and Victor Okorie will continue to function as Director of Technical and Performance, not as chairmen of their committee. 

“They are board members of the Federation and we need them to present their scorecards during our Congress,” Okowa was quoted as saying. 

But a Member of the AFN Board, Oludare Esan, insisted yesterday that Okowa cannot override the decision of the board to retain former committee chairmen while other have been dissolved.

“That’s not what we decided at the board meeting. You become a Technical Director only after you have been appointed as the Head of the Technical sub-committee. If the President wants to create positions, he has to let the board know,” concludes the foremost track and field writer in the country.