AFN board members on warpath over audit report

My hands are clean, says secretary

A report by an audit committee set up by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to investigate its finances is causing ripples among its board members.

“At the beginning of the season, there was no money for AFN to execute its programmes. It was becoming an embarrassment, and the First Vice President, Gadzama, Technical Director, Onikeku and myself drove to our president’s house in Abuja. At that brief meeting, we begged him (Tonobok Okowa) to rescue AFN from the impending embarrassment by giving us some money to enable us hold our programmes, promising that he would be reimbursed when money comes from our sponsors.

“When we eventually received the money from our sponsor, I refunded to Okowa part of the money he gave us to organise those competitions. Now, the same people (panel members) are accusing me of spending AFN’s money. They said in their report that all the money Okowa gave to AFN was ‘donations’. I can’t understand these people. Over N40 million he lent to AFN to organise competitions”
 
Mosindi said she was in the meeting held in Okowa’s Abuja residence, adding, “nothing like ‘donation’ was said about the money we begged him to give to us. Okowa even told Gadzama and other board members to bring in money towards the various programmes we had then, but they said they didn’t have money.

“So, where have I gone wrong? Gadzama even told me that I did not protect him when the board wanted to remove him. He said there are consequences, and that he would make sure I am removed as AFN Secretary General.”

She alleged that one of her accusers asked her to use part of sponsor’s fund “to pay his allowances for his trip to the African Senior Championship in Mauritius. That competition