New Telegraph

#EndBadLeadershipInAFN, Nigeria athletes cry out

With the country still battling with the crisis occasioned by the #EndSars protest, leading to lose of several lives and destruction of facilities in the country, the Nigeria track and field athletes have taken to the social media to ask for an end to bad leadership in the Athletic Federation of Nigeria.

 

 

 

It would be recalled that for several months now, the federation has been in crisis with elected president of the federation, Ibrahim Gusua, taking the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to civil court after he was suspended by another faction recognised by the ministry.

 

 

 

 

The AFN and the supervisory sports ministry had been at loggerheads after a faction led by Olamide George, the federation’s vice president, suspended the president, Ibrahim Gusau, which forced the Gusau-led board to declare autonomy from the ministry at a congress in Awka, Anambra State, last December.

 

 

 

 

Gusau dragged the sports ministry to the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the court ruling July 1 that he remained the AFN president. The Appeal Court also affirmed the High Court ruling, throwing out the sports ministry’s appeal for lacking merit September 25.

 

 

“As we are protesting and asking for reform for our great country, I am peacefully protesting for a better management of athletics from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria because Nigerian athletes deserve better #EndSARS #Endbadgovernance,” 2019 African Games 100m gold medallist, Raymond Ekevwo, wrote on Facebook.

 

“Nigerian athletes are raising their voices over the continuous crisis rocking the AFN and are asking the federation to put its house in order. No peace for the wicked, those heartless AFN leaders should be ready,” quarter-miler, Orukpe Eraiyokan, also wrote.

 

Discus thrower, Princess Kara added, “This is to the AFN, if any, I might not be an Olympian or African Games champion or even Commonwealth champion, but I intend being one someday and with the way the AFN is doing things, I don’t think people like me have a chance to go that far in this country.

 

 

“We want an end to poor treatment of athletes, mismanagement, no payment of allowances, no competitions year in year out, tribalism/favourism of athletes and coaches and embezzlement of funds meant for athletes.”

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