Ofiligate: Sports Minister, Enoh still dilly-dallying one month after!
Exactly a month ago today, the women’s 100m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics began with reigning Nigeria champion, Favour Ofili not registered to run.
Ofili, who met all the conditions set by both the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, including coming to the National Trials to compete, and World Athletics to participate in the event, was inexplicably not registered by her Federation to run in an event she ran 10 times in the pre-Games circuit and in which she ran two fast but wind assisted times of 10.78 and 10.85.
Ofili demanded explanations from the AFN why she was not registered for the event, but none came.
A furious nation called for punishment for negligent athletics officials who, for the umpteenth time, have displayed nothing but ineptitude.
Sports Minister, John Owan Enoh, like a true leader, threatened fire and brimstone. Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief. Commonsense is finally coming to sports administration in Nigeria. A Daniel is finally coming to judgement. Or so Nigerians thought.
A simple administrative negligence that could be unraveled within hours was made to look like a murder case by Enoh, who needed to investigate before wielding the big stick. The Olympics ended about two weeks later, the Sports Minister looked to be consulting Senior Advocates of Nigeria to help him out.
The team returned to Nigeria, and Enoh issued a press statement promising the same thing over two weeks after. He even went on live, national television to make a vow. That he is a dog who can bark and bite.
Now, a full month after, Nigerians are still expecting the bite from Mr Enoh.
To some members of the AFN, Enoh has only lived up to expectations.
He promised them an independent panel of inquiry to look into the AFN Audit Committee report, set up by a resolution of the board in September 2023 and which raised questions about the conduct of the federation’s President and Secretary General.
Minister Enoh promised the panel of inquiry in late February, but almost seven months after, mum has been the word. He barked but has refused to bite.
Just last weekend, the Punch newspaper, in an editorial, described the Sports Minister as clueless as far as the administration of sports in Nigeria is concerned.
The newspaper, in x-raying President Bola Tinubu’s Cabinet Ministers’ performance after a year in office says Enoh has done nothing to stop the tide of corruption in the sports sector and told President Tinubu the Sports Development Ministry needs a capable hand to manage its affairs.
‘Notwithstanding its critical importance to national cohesion and development, the sports sector has not received the required attention. The corruption and mismanagement that rendered the sector comatose have not been addressed by the Sports Minister, John Enoh, who appears clueless about sports administration.
‘Nigeria’s woeful outing at the just-concluded Paris Olympics, despite spending N12 billion on the team, exposed Enoh’s naivety. The sector needs a capable hand,’ wrote the Punch newspaper in the editorial.
