By Chukwuemeka Abbah, Abuja
The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has denied appointing Mr. People S.Y Pepple as Director-General for the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), warning the sporting public, MDAs and law enforcement agencies not to do business with him.
This was made known in a press statement issued by the Permanent Secretary Youth and Sports Development Mr. Gabriel Aduda, saying such designation does not exist in the 38 National Sporting Federations.
The statement reads:
“This is to bring to the notice of the sporting public, MDAs and law enforcement agencies the impersonation of the Office of the Secretary General of Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) by one Mr. Pepple S.Y. who claims to be the Director General of the Federation.
“Nigeria has 38 National Sporting Federations under the supervision of the Ministry established under the laws of Federal Republic of Nigeria and each Federation is run by its elected Board Members in accordance with its Constitutions without interference from the Ministry. In each National Sports Federation, the President is the head of the Federation and presides over its meetings and oversees the implementation of the policies and the directives of the Board.
“The Secretary General is the Chief Administrative and Chief Accounting Officer of the National Sports Federations. There is no nomenclature as the Director General of any of the National Sports Federations.
“Mr. Pepple S.Y. who is laying a fraudulent claim to be the Director General of AFN was never seconded to the AFN by the Ministry as required by law.
“He has neither worked in any National Sports Federation nor seconded as a Secretary General. According to the National Sports Federation Code of Governance 2017, Secretaries General of National Sports Federations must be a civil servant and a graduate of Physical & Health Education, Sports Administration or its equivalent qualification before he or she can be seconded by the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development as stated in the NSF Code of Governance 2017 Article 4.4.1. The Treasurer who shall be a university graduate in Accounting or its equivalent must be a staff of the Accounts Department of, and nominated by the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development as stated in Article 4.6.1 of NSF Code of Governance 2017. This applies to all the 38 National Sports Federations and AFN is not an exception.
The Permanent Secretary also confirmed that the Secretary General of AFN is Prince A. Beyioku who was seconded to the Federation by the Federal Ministry of Youth & Sports Development in accordance with the National Sports Federation Code of Governance 2017 and Athletics Federation of Nigeria Constitution 2017.
“The sporting public, international Sporting bodies, MDAs and all law enforcement agencies should therefore note that Mr. Pepple S. Y. is not the Secretary General of Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
“Mr. Pepple S. Y. is an impostor and not known to Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and by extension the Federal Government of Nigeria and extant laws setting up AFN as one of Nigeria’s statutory sporting federations.
“He is hereby declared personal non grata by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and unrecognized by the AFN constitution and code of governance of Nigerian Sporting Federations.
“Anybody doing business with him is doing so at his/her own risk.
We want all security agencies to be put on notice by this press release and we are specifically asking the Office of the Inspector General of Police to invite the said Pepple for immediate questioning without further delay and a formal letter will be issued to the Police by the Ministry to that effect.” Aduda stated.
