Evangelist Ogba quits AFN board over $150,000 grant

The Chairman of the Delta State Athletics Association Evangelist Solomon Ogba has resigned  from the present board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) over alleged insinuation that he oversee disbursement of $150,000 grant from the Confederation of African Athletics ,CAA, for the hosting of the 2018 Africa Senior Athletics Championships held in Asaba, Delta State .

Blueprint sport gathered authoritatively from his media aide to the two-time former AFN President, Olukayode Thomas who  confirmed Ogba’s resignation Monday

The resignation is already causing many ripples in the nation’s athletics world with several key officials discussing the issue in hushed tone at the Moshood Abiola Stadium Monday afternoon when our correspondent visited the venue.

In a statement released through Olukayode, Ogba on Monday explained that the money from the CAA was explicitly given to the LOC to assist in the hosting of the continental championships and was never meant for the federation has been erroneously suggested.

“It is a global norm that when cities are to host important events, governing and continental bodies give monetary and technical assistance to support the Local Organising Committees, so the 150,000 USD was assistance for the LOC, not AFN”.

“FIFA does similar things in football just like other world sporting bodies” the statement stated

It was gathered that  Ogba chose to throw in the towel due to the undue interference in the activities of the AFN and not due to the alleged missing $150,000

According to Thomas, “Ogba is not comfortable with the dirty politicking that has taken over the AFN lately and that has informed his decision to quit the board.”

He said Ogba was not happy that the AFN constitution and rules have been relegated to the background while things are now done without recourse to the law binding the Federation.

“As an elder statesman in sports and athletics, in particular, Ogba said he cannot sit and continue to watch things done wrongly, though he has withdrawn from the AFN board, he will continue giving his support to athletics in Delta State and Nigeria as a whole,” Thomas said

As at the time of filing this report, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has not reacted to the development ,only last month the Minister Sunday Dare paid a whopping $130,000 back to the IAAF’s been the money the body mistakenly paid into the account of the AFN.

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