The Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria has become embroiled in a dispute over the ownership, leadership and management of the organisation.
Some aggrieved members of the association have accused its acting president, Mrs Esther Aluko, of allegedly altering official documents in an attempt to assume sole control of AFFAN.
The members made the allegations in a petition submitted to the Corporate Affairs Commission on July 27, 2026, and signed by a retired Air Commodore, Rahinatu Garba.
Speaking with journalists in Minna, Garba alleged that Aluko worked with some insiders to manipulate documents used to register AFFAN with the CAC.
She also accused the acting president of altering the association’s constitution and attempting to replace some trustees to further consolidate her alleged control of the organisation.
Garba maintained that the amendment of the constitution was carried out illegally and without following the required procedures.
The petition stated in part, “There has been an illegal amendment of the AFFAN constitution without due process as stipulated in Section 12 of the AFFAN constitution with CAC and Section 16.1 of the current AFFAN constitution.
“AFFAN, CAC Reg. No: 125037, is an Incorporated Trustee owned by its members and governed by the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020. It is not owned by any individual. We, the Concerned Founding and Financial Members of AFFAN, wish to state that no single co-founder can or has the right to claim ownership of AFFAN.
“That one individual is parading herself as the founder, and claiming personal and absolute power to unilaterally remove, appoint trustees and amend the constitution; these claims and many more are false and unlawful as no individual has such powers under CAMA 2020,” Garba alleged.
The petitioners further questioned how Aluko and other members of the association’s leadership, whom they said had operated in an acting capacity since the organisation’s inauguration, could assume powers to alter the constitution, appoint or direct state coordinators and make unilateral decisions concerning the association.
However, when contacted by The Punch on Wednesday, Aluko denied the allegations and described the petition as contrary to the interests of AFFAN.
Giving her account of the matter, she said the association had resolved that its leadership should comprise former athletes who represented Nigeria at international competitions, rather than athletes still actively competing.
Aluko said, “The vision behind the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria was conceived in 2017 through my vision as Dr. (Mrs.) Esther Oluwatoyin Aluko. I am an accomplished former international athlete, coach, and sports administrator with over four decades of distinguished service to Nigerian sports.
“Having devoted my life to sports as an athlete and administrator, I, Dr Aluko, recognise the significant gap in Nigeria’s sports development structure. I observed that many retired female athletes, who had sacrificed their youthful years representing Nigeria with honours and distinctions, were often left without opportunities to continue contributing to sports development after retirement.
“Elite athletes dedicate the most productive years of their lives to rigorous training, competitions, and national service while many of their contemporaries pursue other careers.
Their sacrifices extend beyond physical exertion to include personal, educational, family, and professional opportunities.
“Driven by this conviction, I envisioned an organisation that would preserve the legacy of Nigeria’s former female athletes while providing them with a platform to continue contributing meaningfully to sports administration, governance, mentoring, advocacy, and youth development. Thus, the vision of the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria (AFFAN) was born,” she said.
