 Welcome once again, final conversation this morning on the breakfast is going in sports. And of course, we're talking of Blessing Okagbe this morning, whose drug test conversations seem to be getting even worse than we initially had imagined. There is now talks that she might risk jail time for failing certain drug tests. We're speaking this morning with Akin Tunde Bada Johnson, the sports analyst. Good morning, Mr. Johnson. Thanks for joining us. Good morning. Thanks for having me. All right, good morning. So, I mean, when I heard this yesterday, I was shocked because I wasn't sure why we're having conversations about jail if someone misses or fails a drug test or misses, you know, a drug test. Can you share with us, you know, clarify what exactly, how serious this is concerning Blessing Okagbe? I think in an extreme scenario, you were talking about this as a criminal offence, but it's just a breach of sporting procedure or sporting rules. So, as we all know, as I assume we all know, Blessing Okagbe failed an out-of-competition test in the lead up to the just concluded Olympic Games in Tokyo. And on the eve of the semifinals of the 100 meter race, she was banned and prevented from contesting and competing for an Olympic medal. In the aftermath of that, well, she was banned obviously because she tested positive for banned substances or substances that are listed on the list of substances that cannot be found within the system of an athlete. One of them is a substance that they give to horses which produces red blood cells and obviously enhances performances. So, in the aftermath of that, Habee sample has been tested because she appealed against that ban and the same substances were picked up in Habee sample, which then meant that instead of getting a two-year or three-year ban, she got a maximum four-year ban, which ordinarily, if you started counting from 2021, she'll prevent her from competing at the next Olympic Games in 2024. But the dimension where this is going is worrying because ordinarily, you would have the athlete and half-federation speaking the same thing, singing from the same hymn sheet. But unfortunately, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria is almost admitting that Okagbari is guilty, whereas Okagbari is insisting that she's innocent and that there are individuals who are just after her. There are obviously procedures that she can take to prove her innocence, but the possibility of that happening from history is really, really remote. The chances that she will get out of this is very remote. Same way, the chances that she will end up in jail is remote. And the simple ground for talking criminalities because when you fail a drug test, there are certain procedures that you are typically expected to adhere to and comply with that the world body is claiming that Okagbari is not cooperating with. But like I said, it would take very extraordinary circumstances for a spot man to go to jail. But is it a possibility? However remote it is, yes. Okay, so the next concern here is how did we even get to this level in the first instance? I mean saying that you have the body, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, how did they allow it to get to this one? Because I know for her to be qualified to play the games and all of that are contests for these games. I'm sure there should be some procedures. So how did we just get to that position without having the body that is responsible doing the needful? You're very right, you're very correct. So there are trials ahead of the Olympic games but in Athletics people qualify for the Olympic games based on the times that they've returned. So Okagbari obviously competing in the international circuit had run decent enough times to qualify to be a part of our team. So I'm not sure she ran any race in Nigeria and I'm not sure she ever got tested in Nigeria. That's why the test that she failed was an out of competition test which was taken some months before the Olympic games. In terms of why there is no synergy between the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and Blessing Okagbari, obviously there have been some bad blood in there, there have been some infighting in there which is not uncommon with the Nigeria sports space. Just yesterday here our female basketballers released a video, a very embarrassing video talking about how they're being owed bonuses and allowances from 2017 when they won the first African women's basketball championship and have defended it twice since then and still haven't been paid. So Okagbari not being on good terms with the Federation is not something that is dissimilar with the sort of relationship that sport men in other sports have with their administrators. Usually they have lower heads because the administrators typically don't do what they're supposed to do a lot of them don't even know what they're supposed to do and these guys are exposed to the best training facilities, the best processes and procedures, best practices in sports. So they have very minimal appetite for the nonsense that they confront in Nigeria. So usually they're not just best friends or best of friends with the guys that run the Federation. So it is not surprising that this is happening but I don't know that the Athletic Federation could have prevented blessing from representing us rather at the Olympic Games simply because she's one of our best runners. She's actually an Olympic silver medalist from Beijing Games in 2008, one of our medal prospects without a doubt and obviously the only reason she wouldn't have made the party to the Olympics was if she didn't run a decent enough time to qualify, which she did. So the Athletic Federation is culpable of so many things, this one is not one of them. Well, same excuses. Once again a victim of Nigeria's Athletics Federation, Nigeria sports ministry in general. What is the best way that this can play out if you can in 30 seconds? Well, best case scenario will be, I don't know that she can appeal again. I think she will serve out a ban but from this point on she then needs to herself and her handlers now need to be very measured in what they say and what they do and just cooperate with the world body to ensure that this doesn't get even worse from here. And hopefully doesn't also dump Nigeria and run for another country? I doubt she can. She's in the twilight of her career. She's quite advanced in age. She's well over 30. I'm not sure that that's an ambition. At worst, if she's so upset, she probably never represents Nigeria again, which in itself is a remote possibility considering her age. If she's getting banned for four years, she probably will be in her mid 30s and between now and then Nigeria would have discovered younger talent who should be maybe doing better. Okay, sadly we'll have to wrap up here. Akin Tunde Bada Johnson, thank you so much for your time this morning. Thank you for helping us understand that she might not be going to jail after all. Wish you a very interesting weekend ahead. Wish you the same guys, thank you. Alright, thank you. Alright, and this is where we will be wrapping up as always. It's a Friday so we're back here again on Monday morning. For now, reach out to our social media platforms to catch up on any parts of the conversation throughout the week that you may have missed. It's simply at PLOS TV Africa on Facebook and Instagram. See what our YouTube channel at PLOS TV Africa and PLOS TV Africa Lifestyle. She is Messier Bukal. And he is Osarugi. And I was Osarugi Ogmour.