The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has mistakenly paid the Athletics Federations of Nigeria (AFN) $150,000 (over N54million) instead of $15,000 (over N5million). The amount paid was supposed to be the annual grants to member federations for the year 2017.

Not too long after the mistake was discovered, IAAF accountants requested for a refund of the extra $135,000 but to our amazement the money had already disappeared.

We caught up with The AFN's vice-president, Honorable Olamide George who claimed that the majority of the board members knew nothing about the excessive grant.

The AFN vice president was questioned and below are his reactions to the questions.

Question: An excess of $135,000 was paid to (you) AFN by IAAF, why have you refused to pay back

Answer: Let me start by correcting what you just said. The money was not paid during our own tenure, it was paid in the last dispensation. And funny enough, it did not get to the notice of the new board until people started raising eye brow over the allegations. We never knew that such amount of money was paid into the federation account.

As we speak panel has been set up to investigate the issue and the AFN have compel the ministry of sports to do everything in their capacity and ensure that the money is returned back to IAAF so we can take further grants for our athletes. I reiterate, none of the present member of the present board was aware of the fact that such money was paid into the AFN account.

Question: I don't seem to get something, when you took over, you took over liabilities and asset and I'm sure you should have demanded statement of account.
Answer: Cuts in, we see it was a clear cover up by the secretary of the federation.

Question: Are you telling me it did not reflect in the statement of account.
Answer: It did not reflect in the report that was submitted to us by the out going secretary of the AFN.

Question: I'm not talking about the report. Report could be doctored easily, I mean the statement of account printed from your bank
Answer: I and every other member of the board have not seen the statement of account of our federation.

Question: who is the custodian apart from the secretary and who are the signatory to the account
Answer: The sport ministry is in charge. The signatory to the account are the President, the secretary and the treasurer. The secretary and treasurer are from the ministry of sports.

Question: That is why it's a bit cumbersome. So of what use is TSA if that error was not detected. If TSA is meant to expose this error and it's not, then what's the usefulness?
Answer: we will have to wait for the report of the ministry. The information reaching us that the money wasn't paid through TSA, if it was paid through TSA, it would reflect and they won't be able to withdraw the money without going through due process, but we still have to wait and confirm if the money was paid through TSA or into an individual account.

Question: IAAF is an organised body, when it discovered that it credit the AFN account in error and asked for a refund, which the AFN couldn't do, why didn't the IAAF clamp down on AFN?
Answer: Well I'm sure sure, but the IAAf might deduct from the money which were supposed to be paid to the federation. Money supposed to be paid to athletes that participated in IAAF competition in London have not been paid. They are probably deducting the money from the amount the AFN is suppose to pay back.

A board member of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Rosa Collins believes that the best deterrent for corruption in sports is dismissing and jailing anybody indicted in the 'missing' IAAF $150,000 grant saga.

What happened to IAAF can happen to anyone, we seen a situation when we mistakenly add an extra zero when we want to make online payment. When the money was paid to AFN, the executive secretary of the Athletics Federations of Nigeria (AFN) was supposed to notify the IAAF that they got an excess of $135,000 but he did not do that.

The AFN and the sport ministry has remained in the news, some officials of the AFN, have accused sports ministry officials of conniving with two members of the federation to share the money. Unfortunately, the Solomon Ogba board had been sacked along with other federation when that money was sent in and the new board has not been elected.

The secretary Amaechi Akawo saw it as an opportunity, so the money were pulled out. What ever they used the money for is not important to Nigerians. What's important for us is for the sport ministry to get the money and pay back to IAAF.

The House of Representatives had passed a resolution in Abuja, summoning Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, top officials of the AFN and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to explain the 'disappearance' of the money.

What the House of Rep and Nigerians need to know is that the sport ministry is not in the best position to handle sport in Nigeria, sport commission would have been the most ideal. Which will also expose every illegal activity of the ministry.

The money the ministry will be taking from Athletics Federations of Nigeria (AFN) will be evident that it's not the sport ministry's money but the AFN money. Like it happened of recent the sport ministry won't be able to tamper with the AFN, NFF or other federation money.

The sport ministry took advantage of the fact that there was no AFN board on ground so they use that opportunity to dip their hands into the AFN finances. We have not seen the last of this issue new revelation will definitely crop up. And I hope after this crisis is over the house of Rep will work on the bill for the national sport commission and pass it into law.

When all this happen, who suffers the most? It's the athletes, as revealed by honorable Olamide George, the IAAF has withheld all further payments to the AFN, at least until other options are retrieved.

Wait a minute, snake swallowed how much, monkey how much, could it be cat this time around?

What are you take on this issues, what do you think will put a permanent end to this and what do you think is the appropriate punishment for those involved? Have a say, drop your comments below.


Source http://realsportclub.com/index.php?threads/afn-vice-president-olamide-george-speaks-as-money-disappear-from-afn-account.2018/#post-4303

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