Final-year athletes from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have been barred from participating in the 27th Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) Championship due to discrepancies in their academic records.
The Games, scheduled for November 5–16 at the University of Jos, only recognise athletes registered under the 2024/2025 session. OAU, however, is still officially in the 2023/2024 academic year, leaving its finalists ineligible.
Affected students stated that they had uploaded their admission letters and identity cards to the NUGA portal before being disqualified. They described the ruling as unfair, citing previous editions in which OAU finalists competed after completing their examinations.
OAU’s Director of Sports, Dr Ogunlusi, confirmed the decision stemmed from a sessional mismatch. He said NUGA insisted on aligning with the 2024/2025 session, despite the university submitting documents, including its academic calendar and Registrar’s letter, to prove the athletes’ status.
He added that other institutions, including the University of Port Harcourt, also lost finalists over the same issue. While sympathising with the affected athletes, he cautioned that legal action could jeopardise OAU’s entire participation.
The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. John Adeolu Odedire, questioned the reason behind using academic sessions as a disqualification criterion but promised to seek clarification from the Sports Directorate.
