The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has terminated its relationship with Globacom Nigeria Ltd, due to the inability of the telecommunication company to fulfill terms of the contract for the annual Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon.
Rising from a board meeting in Abuja yesterday, January 26 2011, AFN insisted that it could no longer wait endlessly for Globacom on the international marathon.
Dr. Geofrey Ogu, AFN board member who confirmed the decision of the board revealed that Globacom had been in default for two years running.
“The board (AFN) has just decided now to terminate the contract. We are going to give an update on the marathon in due time. What however is certain is that the contract with Globacom has been terminated,” observed the board member.
Yesterday’s decision by the AFN board is a fall out of many months of trying to persuade the telecommunication company to honor it’s obligation in line with the five-year contract it signed in 2007 with the federation.
Technical/ Performance Director of the AFN Sunday Bada had recently openly lamented the embarrassment the Lagos Half Marathon was turning into, following a spate of enquiries from international athletes.
"We have an existing contract with Globacom. The terms of the five years contract says that the event will hold every year but for what ever reason that didn’t happen last year and this year they are not making any move to see how the event will take place,” observed the former IAAF World Cup winner.
While reiterating the importance of the Half Marathon as the highest of the AFN property, the Sydney Olympic 4x400m gold medalist frowned at situations where sponsors fail to honor agreement mutually entered into.
Inability of the AFN to pay some athletes that took part in the last CAA Super Grand in Abuja in 2009 had created problems with the world body IAAF. Similarly, other debts arising from the Port Harcourt marathon bankrolled by the Rivers State government had created image problem for the country in the committee of road running members of IAAF.
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