The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has been elected as the Senior Vice President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). Okowa clinched the highly coveted continental position during an extraordinary election held by the CAA Executive Council on Saturday, May 16, 2026, where he successfully secured six out of the 11 votes cast. This critical leadership restructuring follows the recent, sudden demise of the long-serving CAA President, Colonel Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, who passed away earlier in the week, creating an urgent need to fill key administrative vacancies within African athletics governance.
Okowa’s ascension to the role of Senior Vice President is being hailed as a major diplomatic and administrative triumph for Nigeria on the global sports stage. Prior to this landmark promotion, the Delta State-born sports administrator had served as the President of CAA Region II (West Africa) and was already one of the body’s vice presidents. With his new, elevated rank within the continental tracking and field governing body, Okowa is expected to play a monumental role in stabilizing the organization during this transition period, while continuing his aggressive advocacy for infrastructural development, grassroots talent discovery, and better welfare for African athletes.
