President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Chief Tonobok Okowa, has asked foreign embassies in Nigeria to make it easier to process entry visas for athletes who qualified for competitions abroad. This was reported by The PUNCH.
Okowa made this call after Nigerian athletes faced challenges at Hungary's embassy. Visa issues led to the 100m mixed relay team missing out on the recent World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
The AFN president, who also serves as a senior vice-president of the Confederation of African Athletics, explained that problems began when the local organising committee delayed sending visa-support letters to the Hungarian Embassy in Nigeria. All attempts by officials to resolve the issue failed.
He thanked National Sports Commission chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Nigeria Olympic Committee president, Engr Habu Gumel, and other notable Nigerian sports figures who tried to sort out the situation but could not succeed.
Despite this setback, Okowa said Nigeria's performance at the championship in Budapest was satisfying. He called it an encouraging show by a mix of young athletes and seasoned competitors. He promised that the lessons learned from the visa problems and other logistical issues would help prevent similar situations in the future, especially with next year’s World Athletics Championship on the horizon. He mentioned that this event is a top priority for the AFN.
“This is a young team, and the fact that we made it to the final in four of the five events we competed in is very encouraging. The World Championship in China next year is the AFN’s big focus.
“We must learn from what happened and ensure that everything concerning visas, documentation and logistics is handled much earlier. We will continue to work with these athletes and identify areas that need improvement,” he said.
“The athletes should not have to go through this kind of pressure when they are preparing to compete for their country.”
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