The Interim President of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Azania Omo-Agege, has expressed deep sadness and concern over the recent death of Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju, a former national and West African light-heavyweight champion. Olanrewaju tragically passed away after suffering a fatal seizure during a boxing match.
Azania attributed the recurring deaths in the Nigerian boxing circle to negligence, particularly by the past administration of the Nigeria Boxing Federation. He cited instances of gross negligence, including the case of a pregnant boxer who was sent to represent Nigeria in an international competition despite being diagnosed with pregnancy.
“I am very sorry to say this , but it’s high time we looked inwards and see what is going on in boxing itself because this is becoming a steady occurrence in boxing right now. First of all, there was a time when our female boxer was pregnant, she was texted in Nigeria here before she traveled out of the country for a Competition. When they tested her here she was discovered to be pregnant, and as at that time the late Dr Ayeni actually threatened the doctors who tested her that they must let her go and fight because the girl had a need for money because she has to cater for her family.
“So, you can imagine that! Sending a pregnant boxer to go to fight in a competition internationally. Ironically when they got to Algeria, they tested the girl and found out that she was pregnant. And this caused a lot of problems. They actually wanted to send the entire team back home. The ministry came up with a committee to look into the issue but as I speak with you today nothing was done about it. Everything was swept under the carpet.
Another incident highlighted by Azania was the death of a boxer in Delta State, who was diagnosed with high blood pressure but was still allowed to participate in a boxing match. The secretary of the Nigeria Boxing Federation at the time had submitted a report citing gross negligence, but no action was taken.
“Secondly, in Delta state, a few years ago a boxer died . Same thing again. The unlucky boxer was diagnosed with high blood pressure, he was hypertensive, the BP was high. He was warned not to box, but still they threw him into the ring because he has to cater for his family, wanted to win a medal so he could get some money. Gross negligence from the Nigeria boxing Federation led by the then president, General Minimah. The secretary actually came up with a report but nothing was done about it. I actually commend him for having the courage to come up with his own report to say that it was gross negligence, that the boxer had a high blood pressure. But guess what, it was swept under the carpet. The Ministry never did anything about it. Even the ethics committee chairman of NBF knew about this but until today, as we speak he never came up with a report. Nothing happened until today. So it’s something we have to look into.
Azania also expressed concerns about Nigeria’s membership in World Boxing, which he believes could lead to more problems, including the potential for Nigerian female boxers to be pitted against transgender boxers.
“And to cap it up, I am sorry to say this again because it’s now sounding like an old song. President Gumel from the NOC is going to put Nigeria into a big big problem. Getting to IOC through the NOC to force Nigeria into World boxing is going to lead us into a very big problem, and it’s another disaster waiting to happen again.
“Now, you and I know that there is a particular boxer from Algeria who is a MALE and a transgender that fights under the umbrella of World Boxing. And to take our girls to go fight with this transgender in any competition that comes up right now. So, are you sending our girls to go and commit suicide? To fight with a man? Is this what we want? They should call president Gumel to order and command him to withdraw Nigeria from World Boxing until the issue of transgender boxing is sorted out by IOC, before reconsidering if they want to join World Boxing by having a congress where the boxers would decide where they want to go to, be it World Boxing or IBA,”
“And again, we have to look into boxing insurance. Things like this really call for where at least he should have had I surance to take of them in the event of death or injuries. These are thing NBF should look into. I am actually looking into that myself. Medical fitness is key in boxing itself'” he concluded.
The Interim President’s comments emphasize the need for urgent reforms within the Nigeria Boxing Federation to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
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