Sports
AFN’s Audit Committee Deserves Commendation – Gadzama
Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s (AFN) First Vice President, Tafida Gadzama, has said that the audit committee set up by the federation to investigate its finances should be commended for doing a thorough job, despite all odds.
In a memo to Tidesports source, Gadzama refuted claims that AFN board members were on a warpath over the audit report.
He explained that the AFN’s audit committee was set up by the federation’s executive board to investigate the finances of the federation in line with article 14.3.3 of its 2023 constitution as amended, which gives the board the power to oversee all its administrative, technical and financial matters.
He said that the boards set up the five-man committee, which he headed, with Victor Okorie, Samuel Onikeku, Oludare Esan and Mrs Maria Worphil as members.
According to Gadzama: “The committee requested from the secretary general of the federation, Mrs Rita Moshindi, who is also the federation’s administrative and accounting officer, to furnish it with all relevant financial documents, including the income and expenditure sheets of the
federation since she was appointed secretary general in 2022 by the Federal Ministry of Sports Development pursuant to article 14.2(c) of the 2023 AFN Constitution as amended.
“The Secretary General availed the committee of the following expenditure sheets: 1. AFN Kaduna U18 and U20 trials, 2. AFN Golden Leagues in Abuja, Benin and Uyo and, 3. The World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.”
Gadzama said the committee also requested the secretary general to furnish it with a copy of the three-year contract signed with Premium Trust Bank in June.
“The Secretary General responded to the questions from committee members but refused to submit approvals received from the president and evidence of payments for some of the expenditures. She also failed to submit to the committee a copy of the agreement signed with Premium Trust Bank.”
“The committee reported, via the AFN executive board’s Whatsapp platform, the Secretary General’s apparent disregard for a decision reached at the executive board meeting of the federation and backed by the constitution of the AFN.
“The committee considered the secretary general’s action an affront on the executive board and the constitution of the AFN.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor
