President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has expressed shock over reports that 150m women’s world record holder, Favour Ofili, has switched her nationality to Turkey.
Favour Ofili’s alleged switch of alligience to Turkey came just three months before the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old sprint sensation is reported to have initiated the process of changing allegiance to the European nation, citing frustration with the Nigerian athletics system.
The news was first broken by Jamaica-based journalist, Kayon Raynor, who also claimed that Ofili had communicated her grievances to the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Speaking in a statement, Okowa admitted he was blindsided by the development and said the AFN is yet to receive any official communication from either the athlete or World Athletics.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening, and painful,” Okowa said as quoted by the Punch. “She is a promising athlete with huge potential. From all indications and her interactions with us, it’s clear she had been preparing for this move quietly. She is old enough to make her decisions, and though it’s painful, we won’t stop her.”
Despite the emotional blow, Okowa acknowledged past shortcomings by the federation.
“We must also admit that we let her down at different times. But she’s still our child, our sister, our daughter,” he added, while also offering an apology to Nigerians and stakeholders for the disappointing turn of events.
Ofili, who remains listed as a Nigerian athlete on World Athletics’ official website, had already qualified to represent Nigeria at the upcoming World Championships slated for September 13 to 21 in Tokyo.
Reports suggest that Turkey has been aggressively recruiting international talent ahead of major global events, allegedly offering financial incentives of up to $500,000 to athletes willing to change allegiance.
This move is not unprecedented, as Nigeria has previously lost high-caliber talents like Francis Obikwelu (Portugal), Gloria Alozie (Spain), and Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) to other nations due to similar frustrations.
The development has once again sparked concerns over athlete welfare, management lapses, and talent retention within Nigerian sports.
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