Okowa: AFN Board Yet to Decide N15,000 Registration Fee for Athletes as Board Members Kick

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has moved to calm growing concerns over reports that athletes would be required to pay N15,000 to register on the newly adopted Roster Athletics platform.

Athletes and stakeholders raised alarm after encountering a payment option while registering on the digital platform, which the federation introduced to manage athlete data and competition entries nationwide.

The development drew sharp criticism, including from Nigeria’s 100m record holder Olusoji Fasuba, who warned that such a fee could exclude grassroots athletes and stifle development.

AFN president Tonobok Okowa told The Punch that the federation had not approved any registration fee and stressed that athletes would not be made to pay N15,000.

He explained that the figure originated from Roster Athletics and was still subject to negotiations and board approval.

‘The matter has been tabled before the board and is still under deliberation. We have not fixed a price, and it will definitely not be N15,000. I can assure everyone that the registration fee will be significantly reduced,’ Okowa said.

However, his comments have been met with skepticism, as they appear to contradict his earlier press release announcing the partnership with Roster Athletics, where he described the deal as ‘a new dawn for Nigerian athletics.’

Observers note that Okowa’s change of tone comes after backlash from athletes and stakeholders who view the fee as exploitative.

Adding to the controversy, some AFN board members have reportedly kicked against the Roster Athletics deal itself, alleging that it was introduced by Secretary General Israel Inwang without board approval.

Critics argue that this reflects a broader pattern in the federation, where major decisions are often taken unilaterally by the president without consulting the board.

Former AFN board member Dare Esan told SportsNow that the sidelining of the board is not new.

‘During our time, we kicked against this. The Premium Trust Bank sponsorship was one of them and it led to a near fracas in Birmingham at the sidelines of the Commonwealth Games in 2022 when I wrote the president a message via WhatsApp warning him against turning himself into a dictator and ignoring the board,’ Esan said.

Okowa has insisted that the federation will not profit from athletes, promising that any component of the fee meant for the AFN would be reduced or absorbed entirely.

‘The AFN is not ready to make any gain from the athletes, I can assure anyone of that,’ he further told the Punch.

The AFN announced the partnership with Roster Athletics on January 13, touting it as a major step towards tackling age cheating and improving data integrity in Nigerian athletics.