‘Heads Will Roll’: NSC Condemns AFN Over Alleged Age Manipulation

‘Heads Will Roll’: NSC Condemns AFN Over Alleged Age Manipulation

By Niyi Busari 

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has demanded comprehensive accountability from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) following concerns raised by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) regarding alleged age discrepancies involving several Nigerian athletes, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The AIU, an independent body under World Athletics, formally requested clarification from Nigeria after identifying inconsistencies in the ages of some athletes who competed at the CAA U18/U20 Championships in Abeokuta.

NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko expressed strong dissatisfaction with the situation, warning that disciplinary action will be taken against any official found culpable.

“At a time we are giving no place to age cheating in our sports, this will not be swept under the carpet,” he said. “We are determined to get it right from our age-grade competitions.”

Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, reinforced the Commission’s stance, emphasising that the AFN must demonstrate competence and restore public and international confidence.

“This query does not portray the AFN in good light,” he said after a meeting with senior AFN officials, including Technical Director Gabriel Okon and national coaches. “We will not hesitate to come down hard on any official whose actions contributed to this embarrassment.”

Olopade stressed that sanctions for incompetence are now unavoidable as the Commission intensifies efforts to eradicate age cheating from Nigerian sports.

“Our resolution at the last Council of Sports meeting in Calabar to clamp down on age falsification will not be compromised, regardless of who is involved,” he warned. “Youth competitions are developmental, and the win-at-all-cost mentality must end.”

The NSC has urged the AFN to address the AIU query promptly in order to clear Nigeria’s name and prevent further reputational damage.

In a related development, the Commission has removed two athletes from Team Nigeria’s camp ahead of the Africa Youth Games in Angola after detecting age-related discrepancies.