Justice for Favour Ofili as committee recommends N8 Million compensation for Paris Olympic games omission

The Investigative Committee, established by former Minister of Sports Development Senator John Enoh, has called for compensation for Nigerian athlete Favour Ofili following her exclusion from the women’s 100 meters event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

n a report submitted to Senator Enoh and signed by Committee Chairman Dr. Mumini Alao, the committee recommended that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) compensate Ofili with N8 million (about $5,000) for the distress and disappointment caused by the administrative failure.

The committee report highlighted lapses in communication within the AFN and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), focusing on the role of AFN officials. “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,” the report stated. “Mrs. Mosindi should be penalized by the appropriate authority,” it added.

The committee also faulted Mr. Samuel Onikeku, the AFN’s Technical Director, for not responding immediately upon learning of issues regarding Ofili’s registration. “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 report stated. It further emphasized that “Ofili’s situation might have been rescued if the Technical Director had reported or acted immediately on the information that he received,” recommending that “Mr. Onikeku should be sanctioned by the Board of AFN, of which he is a member.”

In addition to holding the AFN accountable, the committee directed caution toward two NOC officials, Mr. Samuel Fadele and Mr. Emmanuel Nweri, urging them to avoid social media for official communication. “Mr. Samuel Fadele and Mr. Emmanuel Nweri of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) should be warned not to rely on social media applications as a means of important official communication in the future,” the report advised. “Physical documents and/or emails remain the acceptable standards for official communication.”

The report concludes with a strong message on the importance of reliable and structured communication to prevent such issues in the future, aiming to uphold Nigeria’s sports reputation and ensure support for its athletes.