The Athletics Federation of Nigeria is ready for negotiations with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development after the Court of Appeal affirmed Ibrahim Gusau as the federation’s president, AFN’s General Director, Siminialayi Pepple, has said.
Pepple told The Newsmen there were plans to set up a meeting with the sports ministry by the athletics body.
According to him, the federation is taking the decision in the interest of the athletes.
“We should be meeting with the ministry, that’s what we think is the right thing to do. We expect that they’ll invite us, but we are making overture to the ministry and we hope that they’ll also find it necessary for us to sit down and move athletics forward. If there are any grey areas that need to be cleared, we will,” Pepple told The Newsmen.
He, however, said the Gusau-led AFN had no problem with other members of the board led by the federation’s vice president, Olamide George, whose faction had suspended and later impeached Gusau in bizarre circumstances.
“We’ve never had any problem with anybody on the board. The issue is, an action was taken, which we considered illegal and we went to court, and the court has given its pronouncement, everything else will just follow from there.
“This is a win-win situation for everybody, there is no victor, no vanquished, the athletes are the winners in all of these. At least, they can get back to the track for training and competitions,” Pepple added.
