On Thursday, I represented the President of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria, Engr. Giadomenico Massari at a Press Conference to debunk the falsehood being peddled by the country’s
star cyclist and Olympian, Ese Ukpeseraye. I bring the CFN’s position on the issue as delivered by me at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja last Thursday.
Gentlemen of the press, this Press Conference was called to address the falsehoods and misinformation arising from the recent interview granted by one of our female cyclist, Ese Lovina Ukpeseraye. She falsely accused the Cycling Federation and the National Sports Commission of abandoning her.
The purpose of this press conference is not to engage in any controversy with the athlete, but rather to set the records straight. There are concrete facts that the Federation has invested significantly in the development of Miss Ukpeseraye, particularly in the build-up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, largely through the personal influence, commitment, and financial
support of the CFN President, Engr. Giadomenico Massari. Following her qualification for the Road Race, she was granted the opportunity to travel to Switzerland to benefit from a training scholarship program aimed at enhancing her technical and competitive capacity. She was also among the female cyclists who travelled to Italy with the help of the president to participate in international competitions.
Furthermore, she was sponsored to several major international events, including African and World Road and Track Championships, as well as UCI Nations Cups hosted in Eritrea, Colombia, Egypt, France, Scotland, and Morocco.
In 2023, Engr. Masari also facilitated her placement with a European club, covering the costs of her visa to Spain to ensure she gained further international exposure and professional development.
The total investment made in developing Ese and other cyclists exceeds ₦200 million, all directed toward ensuring they excel and compete favorably on the global stage.
Under his leadership, the CFN made a case to the defunct Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for the use of the Velodrome which had been lying idle and converted for other uses. Following the approval granted the CFN for the use of the velodrome, the Federation approached the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) and the International Cycling Union (UCI) for the certification of the Velodrome.
It is also on record that Nigeria successfully hosted two African Track Championships in Abuja in 2019 and 2022 that gave opportunities to many Nigeria cyclists to participate and be exposed as the host. They were both funded by the Federation with massive support of the President Chief Massari.
Recently, the President procured two tandem bicycles for the Para-Cycling Team and provided substantial equipment for the Federation, including approximately 50 track bikes, over 12 rollers, a generator, television sets, printers, laptops, refrigerators, and other essential office equipment to strengthen operations and athlete performance.
In view of the extensive opportunities, exposure, and financial commitment toward Miss Ukpeseraye’s and other cyclists’ development, it was expected that they will demonstrate loyalty, discipline, and appreciation commensurate with the level of support they received.
Rather than appreciate the support of Engr. Massari and the CFN, Miss Ukpeseraye, instead went ahead to accuse him and the Federation of victimization, neglect and frustrating her, to the extent that she reportedly said she has retired from the sport. We say reportedly because it was from reports in the media that the CFN heard of her retirement. There was no communication to that effect with the Federation.
To clear the air on her allegations that neither the CFN nor the NSC supported her as she prepared to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games, the first and only Nigeria with that credit.
It could be recalled that during the last Olympic Games, Ukpeseraye received the following financial support for participation in the Olympic Games;
1. Training Camp Allowances – approximately ₦2.2 million 2. Olympic Games Allowances – approximately ₦6.2 million In addition, the NOC provided her with a training grant of
$5,000 but the president paid the sum of €5,000 (which is higher) into her account to further support her preparation for the Games. Her allegation that she was unable to attend the Zurich World Road Championship because the CFN did nothing to support her is untrue as Ukpeseraye was not qualified to participate in the Championship. According to the UCI Ranking for the Road Women Elite as at 20/08/2024, it was clearly shown that she was behind two South African cyclists in UCI ranking so she could not make the required points that would have qualified her for
the tournament.
Despite this, the president made an appeal via email directly to the UCI President on August 30, 2024 to find a way to include Ukpeseraye in the Zurich World Road Championship but he never got any reply.
When this didn’t work out, the president told her to prepare to attend the African Championship in Kenya as the defending champion but she turned it down. So it is ridiculous that she has turned around to claim that the CFN never supported her to go for the defence of her African title.
Another allegation that because she refused to apologies to the Federation was the reason the Federation abandoned her and refuse to send her for competition was not true.
Ese was invited for the Tour De Benin but she refused to show up. She was later invited again and she led our team to the CAC Track and Para-Track Championships in Cairo, Egypt in 2025.
Gentlemen of the Press, the CFN under the leadership and support of Engr. Massari has done so much to develop cycling and cyclists, especially female cyclists who have really done well within the African continent.
We have addressed the press conference to put the records straight and let the world know that Miss Ukpeseraye has benefitted more than any other cyclist (purely because of her talent) from the Federation and the NSC which helped her achieve all that she has achieved so far.
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