Federal Gov’t Fumes Over Athele’s Omission From Paris Olympics, Says Negligence Won’t Be Tolerated

Nigeria’s Sports development minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, has vowed to deal with any official involved in depriving one of Team Nigeria’s medal prospects in women’s 100m, Favour Ofili, the opportunity of competing in the event she was qualified for at ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics Games.

Enoh made the vow while reacting to the alarm raised by Ofili that her name was not on the list of competitors for the women’s 100m event, accusing the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) of deliberately omitting her name from the 100m event.

“As Minister of Sports, I will not tolerate this utter recklessness. It is highly inexcusable, and there will be thorough sanctions after investigations into where and from whom this gross negligence originated. All parties must take their duties very seriously. The current way of operating the Federal Ministry of Sports Development does not allow for incompetence at any level,” the Minister said.

The former lawmaker turned Minister explained further: “In hindsight, when Ofili had issues at the African Championships in Douala, I reached out to get her side of the story, and this time, it hasn’t been different. Favour Ofili reached me directly, expressing her concern for her races. Immediately I called Professor Ken Anugweje, the lead of the Ministerial Podium Performance Committee, to ensure that Ofili’s issues are thoroughly addressed. He got back to me shortly after to say he was in touch with the 1st vice president of NOC, Chief Solomon Ogba, and that the matter was being handled.

“Upon hearing Ofili’s distress this morning, I reached out to the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN). The Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, stated categorically that Favour Ofili was registered for the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. The Secretary General of AFN has also insisted that the final list forwarded by her to NOC (the only body the International Olympic Committee receives the final list of athletes from) had Ofili listed for the 100m as well. I am in touch with the president of the NOC on this and await his explanation.”

LEADERSHIP reports that Ofili has been in the top eight at the World Championships. She is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.

The minister added that, “As an immediate measure, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee must ensure that Favour Ofili is not deprived of the opportunity to compete in the races for which she is qualified and registered to represent the country at the Paris Olympics. She is committed to proving her mettle.”