Resolve Athletics Federation Crisis Now, VP Urges Minister

Resolve AFN crisis now, VP tells minister By Admin The vice-president of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Hon. Olamide George, has called on the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, to resolve the crisis in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria for the sake of the athletes. It is no longer news that the AFN board members have been at loggerheads as only two members were reportedly taking decisions since the inauguration of the executive committee almost two years ago. The crisis reached a new turn when athletes at the weekend disrupted the national trials, calling for the impeachment of the Technical Director, Sunday Adeleye, who doubles as the athletes’ representative on the board. Speaking with New Telegraph, George said there was need to put an end to an autocratic reign in AFN as he called on the minister to intervene before things get worse. “Everything boils down to leadership. The question we should ask ourselves is when last did the board members hold a meeting? Have they discussed anything pertaining to athletes’ welfare? What are the decisions taken as a board and not as the one an individual dictated? Are the board members really together and is the federation running the way it should be? Has the board been monopolized by one or two individuals? These are the questions begging for answers,” he said. “It is only when there is unity that you can have progress and the truth is we are not together as a group. It has been an autocratic government run by the president; the right thing now is for the minister to call us for a meeting to solve all these crises, or else it will be difficult for us to have a good outing at the African Championships that we are hosting next month. “The first solution is for the minister to call for a board meeting as soon as possible so as to douse the tension and also see how we are going to forge ahead. “Nigeria is bigger than everybody and the federation is bigger than individuals on the board, we must all bury our hatchet and save the sport.”