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• As AFN board members drag former federal legislator to AIU
President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Mr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau risks being slammed a life ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), following a petition by nine members of the board of the federation, accusing the former member of the federal legislature of violating some articles of World Athletics Integrity Code of Conduct.
Gusau, the court affirmed president of the AFN, was accused among other things of causing money belonging to the federation to be paid into a private account belonging to Mr Sunday Adeleye who, at the time, was an elected member of the board of the AFN.
The money in question was paid by PUMA as contractual fee for an equipment and licensing agreement reached with Mr Gusau and Mr Adeleye in July 2019, purportedly acting on behalf of the AFN, without the knowledge of majority of its board members.
Mr Adeleye’s firm, Dynamic Sporting Solutions, was unilaterally appointed by Mr Gusau to serve as consultant to the federation for the project, a clear case of Conflict of Interest and a breach of World Athletics Integrity Code of Conduct Article 3 (Integrity Standards), sub-section 3.3.5 (Conflict of Interests).
If found guilty, Mr Gusau will be the second high profile African athletics official and member of a World Athletics member federation after Kenya’s David Okeyo to be slammed a life ban by the AIU.
Mr Okeyo, for the records was banned for diverting money meant for Kenya Athletics Association paid by sportswear and equipment company, NIKE, into his private account for his personal use. Mr Okeyo, who at the time was the Secretary General and Vice President of Kenya Athletics Association, was banned for life in 2018.
Mr Gusau is also accused of dragging the AFN to court, a decision frowned at by the Chief Executive Officer of World Athletics, Mr Jon Ridgeon, in his letter to the Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare, on August 27, 2020.
