OAU Athletes Cry Foul as NUGA Disqualifies Final-Year Students

The hopes of final-year athletes at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have been dashed after they were declared ineligible to participate in the upcoming 27th Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) Championship.

Despite months of preparation, the athletes were disqualified following an accreditation clash that linked their status to OAU’s ongoing 2023/2024 academic session, rather than the 2024/2025 session recognised by NUGA for the Games. The championship is scheduled to take place from November 5 to 16, 2025, at the University of Jos.

Affected students said they were shocked to see their registration status change from “pending” to “disqualified” on the NUGA portal after uploading their admission letters and ID cards. Many initially assumed it was a system error until they learned it was tied to the sessional mismatch.

The athletes have described the development as unfair and discriminatory, pointing to previous editions where OAU finalists competed after completing their exams. Some also alleged sabotage, accusing certain figures in the university’s sports circle of frustrating their chances.

OAU’s Director of Sports, Dr. Ogunlusi, confirmed the disqualification was due to sessional differences, noting that similar issues also affected finalists at the University of Port Harcourt. He explained that although OAU provided documents, including its official calendar and registrar’s letters, NUGA remained firm on its stance.

On claims of internal sabotage, Dr. Ogunlusi acknowledged that a withdrawn document resurfaced during accreditation but maintained that the issue was primarily about NUGA’s rules, not politics. He urged OAU to focus on strengthening its representation within the NUGA council to influence future decisions.

Meanwhile, the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor John Adeolu Odedire, expressed concern over the situation and questioned the logic of sessional disqualification. He promised to engage the Sports Directorate for further clarification.