Abuja, Dec. 9, 2025 (NAN) The Board Chairman, Athletics and Other Sports Development Initiative, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe, has urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to sack Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Tonobok Okowa
He said the AFN leadership must be held responsible for the ongoing U-18/U-20 age-cheating probe by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
In a statement to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Gombe said the AIU query did not surprise him, describing the Okowa-led administration as “a disappointment and embarrassment to Nigeria.”
Gombe alleged that the NSC supported Okowa’s rise to the AFN presidency without accountability, resulting in corruption, mismanagement and disregard for AFN statutes.
He recalled the unresolved Paris Olympics controversy involving sprinter Favour Ofili, stating that a committee was set up but its report was “swept under the carpet.”
He said no official was sanctioned, insisting that Nigeria now faces yet another scandal because past issues were ignored.
Gombe warned that if the NSC fails to remove Okowa, it should be ready to “go down with him,” adding that more controversies could emerge before the AIU deadline of Jan. 16, 2026.
He gave the NSC two weeks to suspend Okowa pending investigation, stressing that failure to act would attract a decisive response from stakeholders. (NAN)
