Tafida Gadzama, first-vice president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has described as a waste of valuable time the meeting of some members of the federation on Saturday January 6, 2024.
He also described the resolutions ascribed to the meeting as illegal as they did not form the required quorum pursuant to article 15.4 of the 2023 AFN constitution (as amended) to qualify for what can be termed a board meeting.
Gadzama said in a statement that the move made by the eight members that were present at the meeting of like minds to elevate the Secretary General to the status of a board member is not only laughable but a serious dent on their integrity.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, the AFN has a 13 member board while the Secretary General is appointed by the Ministry of Sports Development pursuant to article 14.2 (c) of the 2023 AFN constitution to serve as the Secretary to the board.
‘The AFN constitution is unambiguous about not only the number of board members but also their constituencies. The Secretary General’s position is not linked to any constituency.
‘The Secretary General is appointed by the Sports Ministry as the administrative and accounting head of the Federation to carry out whatever decisions reached by the board.
Consequently, the Secretary General does not have a voice in board meetings and can only talk if the board demands any clarification on any policy statement. The Secretary General does not also have a voting right,’ said Gadzama, an Olympic and African Games gold medalist for Nigeria.
The 1997 African Junior (U20) 400m champion expressed disappointment at the attempt to portray such noble institutions like the Military, the Customs and the Academia as factories for producing people who do not have regard for law and order.
‘I am shocked that some of our members who belong to these institutions do not have any regard for the AFN constitution which guides and regulates the
administration of the sport.’
Gadzama is however happy that that meeting of like minds, albeit illegal, has confirmed what he said in a media statement last week transpired at the federation’s last executive board meeting early last month.
‘This committee of like minds confirmed in its statement to the media that the Secretary General, Rita Moshindi was roundly condemned for her handling of her administrative and accounting roles and that she should be forgiven and asked to ‘go and sin no more,’ said Gadzama.
On the five man committee purportedly set up to oversee preparations for the African Games, World Indoor Championships and the Olympics, Gadzama said the ‘go and sin no more’ committee of like minds lacks the constitutional power to do so.
‘Like I mentioned earlier, the meeting held on Saturday cannot qualify as an executive board meeting as there was no quorum formed to legitimize it.'”
Gadzama then called on the Minister of Sports, John Enoh to order a forensic investigation into the AFN audit committee report.
‘The Sports Minister should also order for the immediate redeployment of the Secretary General who has shown her allegiance is not to the AFN constitution but to individuals. This is in addition to the concurrence of all board members that she has failed in her duties and was condemned for not writing minutes of board meetings during our last meeting. What manner of Secretary General is that?.
‘I want the Sports Minister to know that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda can only be furthered in an atmosphere where probity, transparency and accountability rule.’
