Justice has at last come the way of Nigeria’s sprint sensation, Favour Ofili, who was erroneously omitted as one of Nigerian representatives at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The athlete qualified for both the 100m and 200m race at the 2024 Paris Olympics but she was not registered for the 100m female competition by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). The star athlete only discovered the heartrending omission a few days before the Paris Olympics.
Unfortunately, the AFN and the NOC officials failed to intervene and correct the grave error. No doubt, the omission of Ofili’s name might have denied Nigeria of a medal considering Ofili’s form. The athlete was traumatized and depressed for being denied the opportunity to represent the country in the 100m race. Her loss is invariably Nigeria’s loss. It is sad that Nigeria did not win any medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It is laudable that the investigative panel set up by the immediate past Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, indicted the AFN for negligence, which led to the omission of Ofili’s name from the 100m race, which she qualified. The panel, which was led by Mumini Alao, also recommended that the AFN should compensate the disappointed athlete with $5,000. The committee said the money would take care of the disappointment and depression the athlete suffered on account of her omission from the women’s 100m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The panel found out that “the Secretary-General of the AFN, Mrs. Rita Mosindi, was negligent in her duty of communicating to the then Ministry of Sports Development and the Nigeria Olympic Committee information about Favour Ofili’s event status in a reliable and timely manner.” It also noted that “the Technical Director of AFN, Mr. Samuel Onikeku, demonstrated poor judgement by neither reporting nor acting on information about the non-registration of his own athlete, Favour Ofili, for the women’s 100m event when he first got the hint.”
Beyond the symbolism of the reprieve for Ofili is the need to give condign punishment to indicted AFN and NOC officials for gross dereliction of duty. Giving them adequate punishment is the best way to prevent such negligence in the future. We decry the national embarrassment caused her by the gross negligent of duty by AFN and NOC officials.
Nigeria’s participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics recorded some oddities. Apart from Ofili who was omitted from the 100m event, Nigerian cyclist, Ese Ukpeseraye, was made the headlines for having no bicycle to compete with and had to borrow one from the German team. The 2024 Paris Olympics was the worst outing for Nigeria. We must collectively avoid a repeat of the poor performance in the next Olympics. The time to start the preparation is now. It is worth sounding a note of warning that prayers and wishful thinking alone cannot guarantee us success at the next Olympics. Both the AFN and the NOC must sit up and do the needful.
Although the $5,000 given to Ofili cannot adequately compensate her for the global embarrassment caused her by the AFN and NOC officials, it is indeed better than nothing. We urge her to accept it in good faith. It should not in any way dampen her competitive spirit. On the contrary, let the gesture spur her to achieve greater heights and more laurels for the country. She is still young and can achieve more for Nigeria.
The sky is indeed her limit. She should emulate the Jamaican sprinting superstars, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Sherica Jackson, who are still winning medals for their country in their thirties. The fastest woman in Africa, Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith, the Ivorian, is still dominating the African tracks in her thirties and putting up superlative performances at global events.
Despite the Paris setback, the future is bright for Ofili. We encourage her to strive harder in subsequent competitions to improve on the record set by Mary Onyali in winning individual and group medals for Nigeria at the Olympics and other global competitions. Above all, the omission of Ofili’s name in Paris 2024 Olympics was a grave error that must not be allowed to recur.