Sports
AFN’s Audit Committee Deserves Commendation – Gadzama
Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s (AFN) First Vice President, Tafida Gadzama, has said that the audit committee set up by the federation to investigate its finances should be commended for doing a thorough job, despite all odds.
In a memo to Tidesports source, Gadzama refuted claims that AFN board members were on a warpath over the audit report.
He explained that the AFN’s audit committee was set up by the federation’s executive board to investigate the finances of the federation in line with article 14.3.3 of its 2023 constitution as amended, which gives the board the power to oversee all its administrative, technical and financial matters.
He said that the boards set up the five-man committee, which he headed, with Victor Okorie, Samuel Onikeku, Oludare Esan and Mrs Maria Worphil as members.
According to Gadzama: “The committee requested from the secretary general of the federation, Mrs Rita Moshindi, who is also the federation’s administrative and accounting officer, to furnish it with all relevant financial documents, including the income and expenditure sheets of the
federation since she was appointed secretary general in 2022 by the Federal Ministry of Sports Development pursuant to article 14.2(c) of the 2023 AFN Constitution as amended.
“The Secretary General availed the committee of the following expenditure sheets: 1. AFN Kaduna U18 and U20 trials, 2. AFN Golden Leagues in Abuja, Benin and Uyo and, 3. The World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.”
Gadzama said the committee also requested the secretary general to furnish it with a copy of the three-year contract signed with Premium Trust Bank in June.
“The Secretary General responded to the questions from committee members but refused to submit approvals received from the president and evidence of payments for some of the expenditures. She also failed to submit to the committee a copy of the agreement signed with Premium Trust Bank.”
“The committee reported, via the AFN executive board’s Whatsapp platform, the Secretary General’s apparent disregard for a decision reached at the executive board meeting of the federation and backed by the constitution of the AFN.
“The committee considered the secretary general’s action an affront on the executive board and the constitution of the AFN.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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