Ogunkoya-Osheku slams Ngerem

Ngerem had told the Emeka Omeruah led sports panel set up by the Federal Government to find out why the country failed at the Athens 2004 Olympics Games that his crusade and efforts to take athletics out of the woods in the last three years did not yield any result because he received no support or whatsoever.

But Ogunkoya-Osheku dislodged such ill-comments, describing Ngerem as a self-centred administrator.

"I know it all attitudes, paucity of knowledge of the sports and his unwillingness to learn was responsible for his failures." The Atlanta ’96 medalist told the same forum.

“You can never achieve anything in life if you decide to operate on such arrogance and attitude because you can’t know it all” she added.

Ngerem had also informed the panel that it was the bonus the federation gets from FILA that it uses in running the body.

Adding that where the FILA money failed to do the magic, he used his personal money to run the affairs of the federation, while also carpeting Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited for its decision to withdraw from sponsoring of athletics at the national level, and to return to grassroots, especially its area of operation, Akwa-Ibom.

For Ngerem, the decision is not right. He claimed Mobil did not consult NNPC, its joint venture partner, before taking the decision. He also blamed other companies that are doing business in Nigeria, making money from Nigeria, but are not ready to invest in sports.

Such comments according to Falilat Ogunkoya is baseless and untrue, "Dan needs to be told the home truth, his knowledge of track is limited. For example, what he said about ministry’s refusal to assist in financing the trip to Spain is not true. I have been a beneficial of similar programme myself. Once they agree to sponsor you to a programme, you don't need anything from anybody.

"As for sponsoring athletes with his money, that could not be entirely true because the IAAF takes care of athletes’ tickets and other things, when you are going for IAAF Championships, they also pay each athlete $1,000 as preparation allowances.

"Then the FILA contract that he was talking about was not his idea, the FILA contract was signed when Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson was AFN president. And the reason why FILA signed the contract was because of I, Seun Ogunkoya, Gloria Alozie and Francis Obikwelu, then running for Nigeria, Mary Onyali, Chioma Ajunwa, Sunday Bada and a few other athletes who were running well then."

Ogunkoya blamed the dwindling fortunes of athletics on Ngerem’s leadership and the private sector refusal to invest in sports. "Ngerem has accused the NOC of not being able to raise money for Team Nigeria, what has he been able to raise for athletics?

"He said the business community is hostile to him and AFN is the NOC operating in any other environment, is it not the same business environment? Corporate bodies are not willing to part with money, athletics need somebody that will persuade to them to spend money, not somebody that will be confrontational", concluded Ogunkoya.

The embattled AFN president has come under severe criticism from the local press who blamed him for the country’s chaotic planning and downfall in Athletics.

Culled from: The Guardian Newspaper