The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has warned Nigerian athletes and their families against signing scholarship agreements with agents or agencies without fully understanding the terms.

AFN President Tonobok Okowa said the federation was monitoring such agreements and would intervene when deals were considered harmful to athletes’ education, careers or Nigeria’s interests.

The warning followed allegations that an agency had been offering athletes scholarship deals containing risky clauses, including five-year agreements and a 25 per cent commission on earnings secured through the agency.

Okowa clarified that the AFN had not authorised any agent or agency to provide scholarships to Nigerian athletes. He urged athletes and their families to seek proper legal advice before signing any agreement.

He also stressed that minors should not enter such deals without the knowledge and consent of their parents or legal guardians.

The federation said it had previously advised an athlete to terminate an agreement involving an agent and a school after determining that it was not in the athlete’s best interest.

Okowa assured athletes that the AFN would continue to protect their welfare and ensure that scholarship opportunities contributed positively to their education, careers and development.