Ofiligate: Focus shifts to Onikeku after removal of Mosindi as AFN Secretary General
Whose trouble did Samuel Onikeku tried to avoid and whose order did he obeyed in the process leading to the criminal and irresponsible act of not registering Favour Ofili for the 100m event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?
These are the two posers’ athletics watchers want resolved following the removal of Rita Mosindi as Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, by the National Sports Commission, NSC.
Onikeku and Mosindi were indicted by the Ministerial Investigative Committee which probed Nigeria’s negative exposures at the Paris 2024 Olympics with the non-registration of Ofili for the 100m event despite meeting all qualification criteria, top on the list.
According to the Committee headed by respected veteran journalist, Dr Mumini Alao, Mosindi was indicted for her negligence while Onikeku was blamed for his ‘poor judgement’.
‘Conclusive evidence revealed, however, that the Secretary General of the AFN, Mrs. Rita Mosindi, was negligent in her duty of communicating to the Ministry of Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Committee information about Favour Ofili’s event status in a reliable and timely manner. Mrs. Mosindi should be penalized by the appropriate authority.
‘Conclusive evidence also revealed that the Technical Director of AFN, Mr. Samuel Onikeku demonstrated POOR JUDGEMENT by not reporting nor acting on information about the non-registration of his own athlete, Favour Ofili, for the women’s 100 meters event when he first got a ‘hint’ of the ‘rumour,’ the Committee wrote in its report.
The actions of the indicted duo led the Committee to conclude that the AFN should pay Ofili eight million naira as compensation.
‘Considering the foregoing indictments of two of its top officials for NEGLIGENCE (Rita Mosindi) and POOR JUDGEMENT (Samuel Onikeku) respectively, our Committee recommends that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) should be made to compensate the athlete Favour Ofili with the sum of EIGHT MILLION NAIRA ONLY (about $5,000 US DOLLARS 22 N1,600/$1) for the disappointment and depression that she suffered on account of her omission from the 100 meters event at the Paris 2024 Olympics,’ the Committee wrote in its report.
In Onikeku’s testimony to the Committee, the Chief Superintendent of Customs said he didn’t report what he heard about Ofili’s omission because he didn’t want to be involved in any trouble and that, as a para-Military officer, he only obeys the command that he is given.
Onikeku should be made to inform Nigerians, especially the track and field community, whose trouble he did not want to be involved in and whose command he obeyed.
The Committee recommended that Onikeku ‘should be sanctioned by the Board of AFN of which he is a member.’
The AFN Board headed by Tonobok Okowa met and the sub-committees of the federations were dissolved including the technical sub-committee which Onikeku erroneously believed he got the title of technical director of the AFN from.
Onikeku, supported by Okowa, is naively referring to himself as the technical director of the AFN when the Constitution of the Federation (2023 as amended) does not recognize the position of a technical director.
The NSC should act now to restore confidence in the headship of the technical sub-committee of the AFN while the AFN should also ensure candidate(s) for the position exhibit(s) good, timely and professional judgement at all times.
