By Amosu Adeboye, LAGOS
The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has confirmed that it has received in full a payment it mistakenly lodged into the account of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
A spokesperson for the IAAF, according to insidethegames.bz, confirmed receipt of the $65,000 (£51,000/€59,000) which had been outstanding.
Sunday Dare who replaced Solomon Dalung as Nigeria Minister of Youth and Sports Development last month informed that he had approved money for the full refund of the IAAF’s claims.
The balance of the money which Dare’s Ministry of Youth and Sports Development transfered to IAAF may have been delayed a bit but the world athletics governing body has acknowledged receipt of full payment.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) owed the IAAF a total of $130,000 (£102,000/€118,000).The IAAF had erroneously paid the AFN $150,000 (£117,000/€136,000), instead of the annual grant of $15,000 (£11,700/€13,400) it gives to its Member Federations.
The remaining balance has proved a bone of contention between the IAAF and authorities in Nigeria, who had made several promises to repay it.
Former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung had reportedly paid half of the outstanding amount in May, shortly after the IAAF warned Nigeria would incur sanctions if it was not returned in full.
In August last year, Dalung supposedly pledged to immediately sign off the repayment of half the missing amount.
The money has been huge issue for the AFN and led to the arrest of secretary general Amaechi Akawu by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in Nigeria last week.
Akawu was detained on suspicion of misappropriation of the $130,000 before later being released.
