Sports

Favour Ofili, AFN, and the NOC

Published

2 years ago

July 31, 2024

On July 28, 2024, as Minister of Sports Development, I visited and addressed Team Nigeria athletes at the Games Village in Paris. It was a no holds barred session. Thereafter, I had my usual personal interaction with the athletes to allow them to express their concerns directly to me, which has been my tradition as Minister of Sports. In addition,i have continued to encourage athletes to reach me directly on any concerns.

In hindsight, when Ofili had issues at the African Championships in Douala, I reached out to get her side of the story, and this time, it hasn’t been different. Favour Ofili reached me directly, expressing her concern for her races.Immediately I called Professor Ken Anugweje, the lead of the Ministerial Podium Performance Committee, to ensure that Ofili’s issues are thoroughly addressed. He got back to me shortly after to say he was in touch with the 1st Vice President of NOC, Chief Solomon Ogba, and that the matter was being handled.

Upon hearing Ofili’s distress this morning, I reached out to the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN). The Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, stated categorically that Favour Ofili was registered for the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay. The Secretary General of AFN has also insisted that the final list forwarded by her to NOC (the only body the International Olympic Committee receives the final list of athletes from), had Ofili listed for the 100m as well. I am in touch with the President of the NOC on this and await his explanation.
Ofili has been in the top eight at the World Championships. She is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.

As Minister of Sports, I will not tolerate this utter recklessness. It is highly inexcusable, and there will be thorough sanctions after investigations into where and from whom this gross negligence originated. All parties must take their duties very seriously. The current way of operating the Federal Ministry of Sports Development does not allow for incompetence at any level.

As an immediate measure, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee must ensure that Favour Ofili is not deprived of the opportunity to compete in the races for which she is qualified and registered to represent the country at the Paris Olympics. She is committed to proving her mettle.

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Sports

Agada Shines with Brace as Orijent Beat Karlovac 2-0

Published

5 hours ago

October 24, 2026

The Gleamer

Nigerian forward Charles Adah Agada scored twice as HNK Orijent secured a 2-0 away victory over Karlovac 1919 in the Croatian SuperSport Prva NL on Saturday.

Orijent produced an impressive performance at the Branko Čavlović-Čavlek Stadium in Karlovac to claim all three points in the league encounter.

Agada, a former Mavlon FC of Lagos attacker, was the standout performer, finding the net twice to help the visitors overcome their hosts and strengthen their position in the league campaign.
Orijent went into the half-time break with a 1-0 advantage before extending their lead in the second half.

The Nigerian striker completed his brace with the goal that made it 2-0 in the 57th minute.
Karlovac were unable to find a response as Orijent held on to their advantage to secure victory away from home.

The result represents an important boost for Orijent, who will look to build on the performance in their subsequent league fixtures.

For Agada, the brace underlines his value to the team as Orijent continue their campaign in Croatia’s second-tier football competition.

He has built an important role on loan at the club and has successfully established himself as a regular fixture in their lineup, appearing in all 8 league matches so far this season.

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