Gadzama: It’s a meeting of ‘go and sin no more members’ and not that of AFN board

Tafida Gadzama, the First Vice President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, has described as a waste of valuable time the meeting of some members
of the federation on Saturday January 6, 2024.

He also described the resolutions ascribed to the meeting as illegal as they did not form the required quorum pursuant to article 15.4 of the 2023 AFN
constitution (as amended) to qualify for what can be termed a board meeting.

Gadzama said in a statement that the move made by the eight members that were present at the meeting of like minds to elevate the Secretary General to the
status of a board member is not only laughable but a serious dent on their integrity.

‘For the avoidance of doubt, the AFN has a 13 member board while the Secretary General is appointed by the Ministry of Sports Development pursuant to article
14.2 (c) of the 2023 AFN constitution to serve as the Secretary to the board.

‘The AFN constitution is unambiguous about not only the number of board members but also their constituencies. The Secretary General’s position is not
linked to any constituency.

‘The Secretary General is appointed by the Sports Ministry as the administrative and accounting head of the Federation to carry out whatever decisions
reached by the board.

‘Consequently, the Secretary General does not have a voice in board meetings and can only talk if the board demands any clarification on any policy
statement. The Secretary General does not also have a voting right,’ said Gadzama, an Olympic and African Games gold medalist for Nigeria.

The 1997 African Junior (U20) 400m champion expressed disappointment at the attempt to portray such noble institutions like the Military, the Customs and the
Academia as factories for producing people who do not have regard for law and order.

‘I am shocked some of our members who belong to these institutions do not have any regard for the AFN constitution which guides and regulates the
administration of the sport.’

Gadzama is however happy that that meeting of like minds, albeit illegal, has confirmed what he said in a media statement last week transpired at the
federation’s last executive board meeting early last month.

‘This committee of like minds confirmed in its statement to the media that the Secretary General, Rita Moshindi was roundly condemned for her handling of her
administrative and accounting roles and that she should be forgiven her asked to ‘go and sin no more,’ said Gadzama.

The AFN first Vice President is not only disturbed by the stand of this committee of like minds on issues that bother on transparency, accountability and
competence, but also by their reasoning to agree that the federation’s president should be allowed to be paid money he spent on the Federation without any
agreement to that effect.

‘I am happy Nigerians can see the calibre of ‘go and sin no more’ people who are on the executive board of the AFN. I am still flabbergasted that some
members do not have respect for the constitution of the federation.

‘I am also surprised the ‘go and sin no more members’ failed to include in their illegal resolution how a sponsor’s money meant for sponsoring competitions
within a particular time frame could be said to have been borrowed.

‘The money paid by Premium Trust Bank covers the first year of the agreement but the President and the Secretary General have not told us how and when the
money will be repaid and if it is in the agreement with the bank that ‘unspent’ money can be brought forward to another year. This will be novel.’

On the five man committee purportedly set up to oversee preparations for the African Games, World Indoor Championships and the Olympics, Gadzama said the ‘go
and sin no more’ committee of like minds lacks the constitutional power to do so.

‘Like I mentioned earlier, the meeting held on Saturday cannot qualify as an executive board meeting as there was no quorum formed to legitimize it.’

Gadzama has now called on the Minister of Sports, John Enoh to order a forensic investigation into the AFN audit committee report.

‘The Sports Minister should also order for the immediate redeployment of the Secretary General who has shown her allegiance is not to the AFN constitution
but to individuals. This is in addition to the concurrence of all board members that she has failed in her duties and was condemned for not writing minutes
of board meetings during our last meeting. What manner of Secretary General is that?.

‘We want the Sports Minister to know that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda can only be furthered in an atmosphere where probity, transparency and
accountability rule.’