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#100DaysinOffice: Towards Addressing Doping Violations in Nigerian Sports: The “Enoh-mous Effect”

Published

8 months ago

November 28, 2023

In the last few years, Nigerian athletes have been in the eye of the storm due to violation of doping rules. Doping in itself refers to the use of banned substances to enhance performance. As a means to curtail doping, the Integrity units of sports bodies carry out random and planned doping tests on athletes, as they deem fit.

If banned substances are found in the samples of athletes, then their integrity is called into question, and doping investigations are made. For elite athletes, the rules are even more stringent. Missing three doping tests (planned or not) in the span of 12 months can land them in big trouble.

A number of Nigerian athletes have had to face the integrity Unit of World Athletics over doping issues, and this rising number is tarnishing the profile of the country internationally. Blessing Okagbare, Divine Oduduru, and recently Grace Nwokocha. While these unwanted records stall the progress of athletes as individuals, there are many reasons why it should be treated as a national issue.

The Nigerian Anti-Doping Committee, led by Prof. Kenneth Anugweje had its board ratified by former president, Muhammadu Buhari just over a year ago. While it has continued to put efforts towards eradicating doping violations in Nigeria, the enormity of the work is beyond just what a committee can fix. There is a need for a bigger body, backed by Federal legislation to push this fight institutionally. This part of Nigeria’s anti-doping regulations has always annoyingly moved at a snail-pace speed.

100 Days of Impact

In a bold commitment to bolster the fight against doping in sports, the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh declared an unwavering commitment to expedite the submission of the National Anti-Doping Commission Establishment Bill to the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly for ratification in the coming weeks. Now that is what the country yearned for. The political will to get things moving.

“Our hope is that in the next couple of weeks, we will be able to get the bill ready,” the Minister said. “We will go through the necessary processes, leading up to introducing it to the National Assembly, as an Executive Bill. We will get it across to the Federal Ministry of Justice, to the Federal Executive Committee (FEC), and all the approvals that will lead to that.

Enoh had emphasized the paramount importance of legislation to the National Anti-Doping Committee, identifying it as a crucial step towards overcoming the challenges it faces in achieving its objectives. Nigeria has always needed a Sports Minister that is determined to elevate the fight against doping in sports and ensure that the sporting environment in Nigeria remains fair and clean, with zero tolerance for doping violations.

Moreso, one that places a major focus on education as a preventive strategy against doping, as some cases are as a result of ignorance. Senator Enoh has thus far shown readiness to roll up his sleeves and get down to work. It is not only commendable, but worth being excited about.

The most exciting part was Enoh’s acknowledgement of why more expertise was needed in this area. The Minister acknowledged the need to strengthen the current system while working on the Commission establishment bill. He had elaborated that strengthening the Committee will be done by expanding its professional and technical expertise, with a strong focus on educating athletes on the importance of fair and clean competition.

With all of the country’s troubles with doping, there seem to be good times on the offing. The air of optimism that is flying around the sports sector comes with the leadership vibrance of John Enoh. If the first 100 days are anything to go by, then the sports ministry is set for a gigantic turn around in the next few years of this administration.

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NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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