Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Youths and Sports
No script for a fictional sports movie could have been better written than what is happening in real-life in The Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.
As you read this, kindly clear your mind of any distractions in order to be able to follow the drama through the unending twists and turns that could make a reader dizzy.
Early this week, the lingering power struggle in Nigerian sports, specifically in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, took a drama-filled turn.
To add to the suspense,….. the World Athletics, WA, and the Confederation of African Athletics, CAA, the international bodies to which the AFN is affiliated, visited Nigeria and recommended the statutes under which the federation elections are to be held.
In the past one week, instead of one, two different elections were held with two different delegations of stakeholders.
Two different Presidents, backed by two powerful leaders from the same political party, the APC, emerged, each claiming legitimacy.
One election took place in far away Birnin Kebbi, far from any prying eyes… and was publicly observed and endorsed by a former Minister of Sports, who had left office two years before.
The second election took place a day later in Abuja under kleighlights…..monitored and supervised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports under the current Minister.
Two boards of the AFN now exist, each claiming legitimacy of their elections with one board dangling 2 court orders of the Federal High Court and the Appeals Court …as the instrument used for organising their own election.
The other dangles the 2017 Constitution of the same AFN, approved for use by WA and CAA as the instrument used for their own election in Abuja.
To add some spice to the drama, the acting President of the AFN that organised the Abuja elections did not show up for the elections but was reported to have privately congratulated the winner of the other election.
Those are just teasers in a massive unfolding true-life drama with its ‘sweetest’ parts still to unfold at the Tokyo Olympics in 5 weeks time, and thereafter.
From my little observatory, I am looking and projecting into that potentially intriguing drama.
Who blinks first and surrenders?
What would happen at the Olympics and beyond?
Visit my website www:mathematical7.com after noon and do enjoy the treat.
