Three years after she led Nigeria’s contingent to the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States, where the duo of Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume made history, former Nigeria triple jumper and second Vice President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Rosa Collins-OkahA, has opened up on a number of issues, including the non-payment of her ticket money to the championships as well as her relationship with the outgoing board.

Collins-Okah, a three-time national triple jump champion, who also emerged the National Sports Festival triple jump champion at Makurdi ‘96, superintended over Nigeria’s greatest achievement at the 18th World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA in 2022, where sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan not only became the first Nigerian to win a world outdoor title but also the first to set a world outdoor record with an astonishing 12.12sec followed up with a (+2.5)wind assisted 12.06s in the final. It was double celebration for Nigeria as long jumper, Ese Brume, also grabbed a silver medal with a 7.02m leap to cap the nation’s historic moment.

Three years down the lane, Collins-Okah, who was the first African woman to win the triple jump gold at the African Games at Harare ’95 with a mark of 13.80m, alleged that she is yet to get her money she spent in purchasing flight ticket and other expenses at Oregon 2022.

Speaking with The Guardian in a telephone conversation from her base in Spain on Thursday, she said: “I was the leader of Nigeria’s delegation to the World Championships in Oregon 2022, and as we speak, the AFN is yet to pay me the money I spent in buying flight t icket to the championships.”

In the build up to the AFN election in 2021, Collins-Okah signified her interest to become the President, but later stepped down for the incumbent Chief Tonobok Okowa. Then, some stakeholders in the athletics family backed her for the position based on her robust feat in athletics, philanthropism and programme sponsorship.

Soon after, things began to fall apart between Rosa and Okowa. “Those who know me very well will testify that I don’t tell lies. I always tell people the simple true. Shortly after we came on board, I began to realise that things were not done properly. There were a lot of falsehood and I kept advising against some of them thinking that those involved will change for better. But things continue to go wrong. I kept pushing on with the hope that everyone on the board had the interest of Nigeria’s athletics at heart.

“I was nominated by the board to lead Nigeria’s delegation to Oregon. As at the time of my trip, the flight was fully booked and so, I had to travel on business class because a lot of people were travelling to Oregon for the championships. I begged my husband to pay for my ticket pending when AFN will settle me. I led the team to Oregon, and to God be the glory, we returned home with two medals: gold and silver. Do you know that the AFN avoided me while going to Aso Villa to present the athletes and their medals to the President? I felt so bad, but my husband told me not to allow it bother my mind. Another painful aspect of it is that Okowa has been telling people that he fell out with me because I requested for a business class ticket to travel to Oregon. That is a big lie. As we speak, the AFN is yet to pay me the ticket money and other expenses I incurred at Oregon 2022,” she stated.

Collins-Okah also revealed why she approached the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) saying: “I had to travel down from Spain to Abuja to tell the EFCC all I knew about the sponsorship money. Till this moment, there is no trace where the sum of N40million was transferred into the AFN account. We are still on the matter and I am going to speak on some other issues soon because some people want to use illegal means (International tickets) to return to the AFN board. The President, Tonobok Okowa who is the vice president of CAA is already guaranteed a place on the coming board but he has tough challenges to face in the race to retain his position as the new AFN President.

Any other person hoping to come through International body must get a letter from the World Athletics or the Integrity Unit. The days of picking all manner of letters from Africa body is gone. It won’t work.”

She commended the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olapade, who included her name in the 15-member Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the third combined African U18/U20 Athletics Championships holding from July 16 to 20, 2025, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

“It is a call to serve my country, and I am grateful to be named in the LOC, which comprises distinguished professionals with proven expertise in sports administration and corporate affairs,” Rosa Collins-Okah stated