AFN warns athletes to be careful with scholarship deals

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has warned Nigerian athletes and their families not to sign scholarship agreements with agents or agencies without fully understanding the terms. They said some of these deals could harm the athletes' education, careers, and future plans.

AFN President Tonobok Okowa mentioned that the federation is keeping a close eye on agreements involving Nigerian athletes. They will step in if any deal is seen as harmful to the athlete or Nigeria's interests.

This warning comes after reports of risky clauses and extortion by an agency. This agency allegedly ties athletes into five-year contracts and takes 25 percent of their earnings.

Reports state that a contract with this agency gives them exclusive rights to work with universities, compliance offices, and sponsors for the athlete. They take 25 percent of all the money related to financial agreements.

Okowa, who is also a Senior Vice President of the Confederation of African Athletics, said that taking care of athletes is a major part of the federation's job. He clarified that the AFN has not made any agreements with agents or agencies for scholarships for Nigerian athletes. He urged athletes and their families to be careful before agreeing to any deals.

The federation also said that young athletes should not sign agreements without their parents' or legal guardians' knowledge and consent. Okowa emphasized the need to protect young athletes from agreements that could harm their education, careers, or chances of representing Nigeria.

“It is necessary to protect young athletes from arrangements that could negatively affect their education, careers or national representation,” Okowa said in a statement to our correspondent.

The AFN revealed that it had advised an athlete to end an agreement with an agent and a school after finding that it was not in the athlete's best interest and could harm Nigeria's interests.

“In a particular case, I directed the AFN Second Vice President, Akuchukwu Aghazu, who is a lawyer, to look into the details of an athlete’s agreement,” Okowa said.

Okowa urged athletes and their families to get the right advice before signing any agreements. He assured them that the AFN would keep working to protect their interests while making sure that opportunities for Nigerian athletes help their growth.