Acting president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Honourable Olamide George has affirmed Prince Adisa Adeniyi Beyioku as the authentic and substantive Secretary General of the federation.
George was reacting to reports that a certain Siminilaye Young Pepple was appointed the Secretary General of the AFN at the congress held in Awka on Wednesday December, 2019.
“That was an exercise in futility. Prince Beyioku is the authentic Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. The illegal assembly of some impostors who masqueraded as states association chairmen did not have the power to appoint a Secretary General. Our constitution states clearly which authority has that power,”/said George who revealed the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has been granted that power by the constitution of the AFN.
“Article 8.7.2 of the AFN constitution states that ‘the terms and conditions of employment (of a Secretary General) shall be decided by the FMYS (Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports)’. This is clear and unambiguous,” said George,a former member of Ondo State House of Assembly.
“We advice athletics stakeholders not to have any dealings with Mr Siminilaye Young Pepple as he is not the Secretary General of the AFN,” George further said and asked the recalled athletes representative,Sunday Adeleye to surrender all properties and documents of the federation including the documents of the contract signed with sports wear manufacturer, PUMA without the board’s approval to the Secretary General, Prince Beyioku.
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“The AFN constitution is also unambiguous about this. The Secretary General is the custodian of all records, documents and properties of the federation,” he said.
George also revealed that many of the people paraded as states association chairmen are actually impostors.
“Timon Gunen, a former Nigeria international is chairman of Plateau state and was nowhere near Awka for the illegal congress and yet Plateau state was listed as one of the attendees of the so called congress,” George stated.
“Alhaji Kaita heads the Katsina athletics association and he was not also in Awka nor did he send any representative yet Katsina was marked present in Awka. One of the three people who wrote the communique is a stadium manager in Minna and yet he is paraded as a state chairman.
“Let them release the names of those who attended the illegal gathering and Nigerians will see how cheap they had been.”
The AFN acting president also revealed that only the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development can dissolve the federation at the expiration of the tenure of the present board.
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“Article 10.4 of the AFN constitution on dissolution says the AFN board may be dissolved by the pronouncement of the FMYS (Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports) at the expiration of four years of office in line with the Olympic circle,” George revealed.
The acting president chided board members who have joined ‘government intervention’ chorus to resign first before talking about any interference.
“All the states association chairmen including Ibrahim Gusau, the suspended president of the AFN were appointed as chairmen by government at state levels. So if they want to shout interference, I think the honourable thing to do is to resign first. It is the logical thing to do so that Nigerians can believe them,” he said.
