Some amateur boxers and their coaches, yesterday staged a peaceful protest at the National Stadium, Lagos, over alleged favouritism in the selection of boxers to the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
 
The protesters at the Nigerian Amateur Boxing Association (NABA) office, located at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex, accused the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) of hampering the country’s chances of success at the Games.
 
With banners and placards, the protesters called on the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, and the NBF Chairman, Wale Edun, to urgently intervene in the crisis rocking amateur boxing in the country.
 
The demonstrators accused the NBF Vice Chairman, Yakubu Imadu Omonlei, of manipulating the selection process in favour of “his fighters” and appealed to Olopade and Edun to “call him to order before his inordinate ambition causes more damage to Nigerian boxing.”
 
The crux of the matter, according to the protesters, is that the federation allegedly conducted an unfair trial process that resulted in the selection of boxers who have failed to impress at the competition.   
 
They alleged that five of the six boxers fielded by Team Nigeria have already been eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
 
They said that the disappointing performances reflect flaws in the selection process and called on the federation to prioritise merit and proven performance when choosing athletes for major international competitions.
 
Addressing the protesters, NBF Technical Director, Babatunde Laguda, appealed for calm and urged the coaches and athletes to formally document their grievances.
  
He assured them that their complaints would be considered through the appropriate channels.
 
One of the coaches involved in the protest, Fatai Azeez of Owonikoko Boxing Club, highlighted the achievements of his boxer, Adeshina Zainab, questioning why an athlete with an impressive international record was overlooked.
 
“She won a silver medal at the African Games in Ghana, reached the final of the Olympic qualifiers in Thailand in 2024, where she narrowly lost to a Finnish boxer in a controversial bout, and also won silver at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia. Since 2023, she has consistently represented Nigeria and has always reached the final stage of competitions,” Azeez said.
  
Reacting to the protest, NBF’s Communications Director, Mathew Okougbe, advised Nigerians to disregard the protesters, saying that they were sponsored by a top official of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) to tarnish the image of the NBF’s vice president.

Okugbe said: “It is normal for boxers to go to competitions and either won or lose. You cannot blame the NBF’s vice president for the failure in Glasgow.

“The boxers were selected after a competitive trial period. They were sponsored to foreign camps by the National Sports Commission (NSC), which provided everything they needed to succeed. So, how come they are blaming an individual for the failure.

“In any case, the NSC is looking into the matter and will address it the way its should.”