Favour Ofili will receive ₦8 million ($5,000) in compensation after an investigative committee concluded that her exclusion from the 100 meters event at the Paris 2024 Olympics was caused by administrative lapses.
The committee, set up by former Minister of Sports Development John Enoh, found a series of errors and miscommunications involving the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).
Ofili, who had qualified for both the 100 and 200 meters events, could only take part in the 200m and the 4x100m relay after she wasn’t registered for the 100m.
The 21-year-old, who took to social media to alert Nigerians of her ordeal, told the committee she discovered her omission upon arrival in Paris.
“I worked so hard to qualify for both the 100 and 200 meters, and I had also prepared very hard with my coach to participate in the two events and the 4×100 meters relay. Therefore, I was surprised when I got to Paris and learned a few days to the 100 meters heat that my name was not entered for the event,” she told the committee in its report made available to Bold Sports.
“I worked so hard to qualify for both events and prepared intensively. Discovering my name was missing from the start list felt like my world had crumbled,” she added.
Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, said nobody was willing to take responsibility for Ofili’s omission after he learned of the issue through her post on X (formerly Twitter).
“My attention was drawn to the post by one of my ministerial aides, and Ofili also reached out to me to express her concerns,” he said. “What I noticed immediately was buck-passing amongst the officials, so I couldn’t establish where the problem was exactly.”
The Technical Director of the AFN, Samuel Onikeku, testified that he had entered Ofili for the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4×100 meters relay. “I personally registered Favour Ofili on the Event Entry System (EES) on the World Athletics portal. After that, it was the responsibility of the Nigeria Olympic Committee to confirm her entry for the 100 meters,” Onikeku stated, presenting a document to support his claim.
However, NOC official Samuel Fadele, who was responsible for confirming Nigeria’s entries on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) portal, said Ofili’s 100 meters entry did not appear. “I ticked off her name for the 200 meters and 4×100 meters relay because that was all that was preloaded against her name on the IOC portal,” Fadele explained.
Onikeku admitted he failed to follow up when rumors surfaced about her exclusion. “I heard hints about her omission around July 11 or 12 but didn’t want to get involved in trouble,” he said.
The Secretary General of AFN, Rita Mosindi, also came under scrutiny. She claimed to have submitted the final list of athletes to both the Ministry of Sports Development and the NOC via WhatsApp. “I submitted a copy of the list to a ‘Paris 2024’ WhatsApp platform created by Emmanuel Nweri on behalf of the NOC,” she said. However, Mosindi could not provide evidence, citing the loss of her phone during the Games.
The committee’s findings revealed significant lapses in communication and coordination. It concluded that both Onikeku and Mosindi bore responsibility for the incident.
As a result, the committee recommended sanctions for both officials. Onikeku was criticized for poor judgment and recommended for disciplinary action by the AFN Board. “His failure to report early warnings about Ofili’s omission demonstrated gross negligence,” the report stated.
Mosindi was found negligent in her duties and was recommended for penalties by the sports ministry for failing to provide necessary documentation.
“Her reliance on informal communication like WhatsApp for official matters raises questions about her competence,” the committee said.
The committee also recommended adopting a formal code of governance for athlete registration to prevent future occurrences. Additionally, it recommended that Ofili be compensated for the distress caused by the omission.
In justifying the compensation, the committee described the ₦8 million payment as both restitution and a symbolic gesture to hold officials accountable.
“This payment recognizes the emotional and professional damage done to Ofili and signals a commitment to preventing such errors in the future. She worked hard for years to qualify, and this was taken away from her due to no fault of her own. This compensation is a symbolic gesture to ensure accountability,” the report stated.
Others who appeared before the committee included Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports Development Atinuke Watti; HOD, Federations and Elites Athletes Department, Ministry of Sports Development Bamiduro Olumide; President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Tonobok Okowa; NOC Consultant Emmanuel Nweri; Assistant Chief Statistician, Ministry of Sports Development AbdulMumeen Shagaya; and Administrative Officer, Athletics Federation of Nigeria Bola Alake.
