INDONEWSIAN.COM – As if they had a premonition of what was to befall us, the National Council of Sports (NCS), at the last meeting in Calabar, took a bold decision to combat age-cheating in Nigerian sports. Among several other decisions, the Council gave the National Sports Commission (NSC) the approval to criminalise and institutionalise strict sanctions against age falsification in the country’s sports.
Many of us applauded the move as not only a step in the right direction but timely in view of the endless embarrassments Nigeria has suffered in the hands of sports officials who have continued to connive with athletes and their coaches to cheat. Whenever they are caught, the image of Nigeria is invariably stained.
However, as if they were waiting for the sports authorities in Nigeria to begin the process of sanitising the country’s sports ecosystem and entrenching athletes’ integrity, soon after the decision to criminalise age-cheating was taken in Calabar, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) dropped a bombshell.
The body charged with the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the sport of athletics flagged 16 out of 17 athletes featured by Nigeria at the 2025 African U-18 and U-20 Championships for having multiple, conflicting dates of birth across official documents. It meant, therefore, that only one athlete was eligible to compete for Nigeria. Consequently, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has been queried by AIU and given a January 2026 deadline to tender satisfactory explanations.
It will be recalled that at the end of four days of electrifying competition at the remodeled MKO Abiola ultra-modern sports complex in Abeokuta, Team Nigeria finished with 16 medals; five gold, eight silver and three bronze. This remarkable hurl secured Nigeria, a second-place finish on the medals table, just behind perennial rivals South Africa who won 12 gold medals. The competition was a double-barrel event as it featured U-18 and U-20 male and female athletes.
Oblivious of what was to come, Nigerians celebrated the performance of Team Nigeria as the athletes exhibited exemplary fighting spirit, particularly on the final day, when they won all the relay races spectacularly.
However, those victories that brought so much joy to Nigerians have become a source of shame to the country. For the AIU to query the participation of 16 out of 17 athletes that Nigeria featured at the competition, it is not only scandalous, but a big question mark on the country’s adherence to fair play.
Anyway, age cheating has been a persistent issue in Nigerian sports. However, the most high-profile and detailed historical cases often relate to football. Therefore, even as the searchlight is presently on athletics, the unfortunate incident under investigation points to a systemic problem that has continued to impact negatively on our sports development.
Most times, athletes reduce their ages in order to be eligible to compete in age-grade competitions that are designed to be developmental. Such older athletes with fabricated ages go on to excel, giving us false hopes of a bright future. However, they hardly last because before long, their true ages, which are usually hidden in small bodies, begin to impact negatively on their performances.
For instance, in the latest query to the AFN, the AIU cited examples that are quite disturbing. The report mentioned athletes like Adeola Adenji Muideen (with birthdates as far apart as 2004 and 2009) and Esther Aiffigbo (2006 vs. 2002) as examples of deliberate manipulation.
Well, following the query by the AIU, the AFN has set up its own investigative committee. In a short while, I will explain why this probe committee is an aberration. In a related development, the NSC has also swung into action with the establishment of its Integrity Unit (IU).
The Director General of the NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade has said the newly established Integrity Unit will work closely with all sports Federations, the anti-doping unit, the athletes and Elite, and the Podium board. In addition, the NSC is threatening to severely punish officials implicated in the latest age-falsification scandal.
Obviously, we have a very serious matter on our hands, if the eventual response from the AFN isn’t convincing enough, the AIU could sanction Nigeria for cheating in an age-grade competition. In case of a ban, it would definitely impact negatively on athletics development in the country.
However, some of us are afraid that beyond the ongoing rethorics, the serious approach that the problem deserves is lacking. Allowing the AFN, which is an accused in this instance, to set up a probe committee made up of people who in one way or the other were involved in the players’ documentation at the competition in Abeokuta is tantamount to an accused being a judge in his own case. It is doubtful if a thorough job would be done.
Instead an independent probe committee comprising men and women of proven integrity and professionalism should have been constituted by the NSC to thoroughly probe the scandal to ensure that those found guilty are given appropriate punishment.
So, while I commend the efforts being made by the NSC to put in place a structured mechanism to checkmate age-cheating in Nigerian sports, it should do more to address the present issue. It is high time we began to deal more harshly with age-falsification offenders because apart from embarrassments like the one we are presently faced with, the evil practice has also contributed greatly to sports underdevelopment in Nigeria.
It is important to know that athletes falsify their ages for financial incentives and the desire for sports scholarships, professional contracts, and international opportunities, which are easier to secure in age-grade categories. When slashing down their ages, athletes think about themselves rather than the country they claim to be serving.
Personally, whenever I see any of my age mates claiming 18 years just to be eligible to feature in an age-grade competition, I feel sorry for both the athlete and the country. This is because the athletes, if successful, gain fame and wealth but the country is starved of progress in sports.
Let me be bold to state categorically that one of the reasons Nigeria is presently performing poorly in age-grade football tournaments is because of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which has been introduced to curb age-cheating. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is trying to abide by it, and the result is obvious – failure upon failure. Simply put: it is becoming more difficult to use men in youth tournaments.
However, the NFF appears to be trying to reduce age-cheating. Despite the embarrassing results we have suffered in recent times, I urge the federation to keep it up. I am confident that if the feeble effort is sustained, one day, we will get it right.
On this note, I call on the NSC to pay serious attention to the newly established Integrity Unit as it moves to combat most of the problems Nigeria has been facing in sports at the international level. For it to be taken seriously, the NSC must show that it can bark and bite. There should be no sacred cows. ***
