The audit committee set up by the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa to look into the finances of the Federation between 2021 and 2023 has asked for the replacement of the Secretary General of the AFN, Rita Mosindi for alleged financial impropriety and abused of office.
A copy of the report of audit committee submitted to the AFN board and made available to journalists revealed that the underfire Secretary General was unable to account for and provide payment evidence for all the transactions made by her between November 2022 and September, 2023.
The report which indicted the AFN Secretary General who also doubles as the Administrative and Accounting Officer asked Mrs Mosindi to refund all monies spent without budgets and approvals while also requesting the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports to immediately redeploy her from AFN as she’s unworthy of the position she currently occupies there.
The committee also asked the AFN President, Tonobok Okowa to refund the N40 million naira he obtained in form of refund for his donations to the Federation without written evidence.
The recommendation of the audit committee report headed by the First Vice President, AFN, Tafida Gadzama read: “The Secretary General should refund all monies spent without budgets and approvals.
“The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports should urgently redeploy the Secretary General as she has proved not to have the capacity to head the secretariat of the AFN and be its chief administrative and accounting officer.
The audit committee of the AFN also disclosed that “The President of the AFN should immediately refund the 40 million naira he obtained in form of refund for his donations.”
The probe panel also suggests that there should be a committee that will prepare budgets for all events and activities especially the sponsored events while the panel also asks the AFN to give more publicity to its sponsored events and activities for the Federation and the sponsors to get the needed visibility and help drive the AFN marketing activities.
The audit committee also recommends the set up of a compliance committee that will help ensure the sanctity of any and all agreements entered into by the AFN and the committee also asks the AFN to use the sponsorship fee from the Premium Trust Bank for the first contract year to organize more competitions for the 2024 season for the athletes to be adequate ready for the four major events of next year which are: the African Games, the African Championships, the World Under 20 Championships and the Olympic Games.
The AFN board headed by Chief Tonobok Okowa, had appointed a five-member probe committee, led by its First Vice President, Tafida Gadzama at the end of an executive board meeting had on September 16th, 2023, to peruse the federation’s since the start of the administration in 2021. The panel was saddled with the responsibility of probing AFN’s income and expenditure, to report their findings to the executive board.
Other members of the committee were Mrs. Maria Worphil, Samuel Onikeku, Dare Esan and Victor Okorie.
