Former sports minister, Solomon Dalung, has reached an agreement with authorities at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) over the threat to ban the country for non-refund of the sum of $130,000.
IAAF had said it overpaid its affiliate body in Nigeria, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), in 2017 by $130,000 and gave a two-week grace period for it to pay back or face sanctions.
Spokesman of IAAF, Nicole Jeffery, in a statement said that Dalung on Tuesday, his final day in office, spoke with IAAF President, Sebastian Coe, and reached an amicable solution.
“The IAAF can confirm that the Honourable Solomon Dalung, Minister for Sport in Nigeria, and IAAF President, Sebastian Coe spoke by telephone yesterday evening to discuss the overdue payment of the funds that were mistakenly paid by the IAAF to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.
“An amicable resolution has been reached and the matter will be settled very soon. The IAAF would like to thank Minister Dalung for his assurances and continued interest in the sport of Athletics,” the statement said.
Dalung had burst up last Saturday at the 2019 Okpekpe Road Race in Edo State claiming that Nigeria did nothing wrong.
