According to reports, Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili began the official process to switch her international athletic allegiance to Turkey on May 31, 2025, meanwhile, the same Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) leadership was re elected this June amid widespread criticism. Sources close to Ofili say that chronic administrative failures drove the decision, not financial incentives.
Ofili’s career has been repeatedly undermined by federation errors: in 2021, she missed the Tokyo Olympics 200m after the AFN and Nigerian Anti Doping Committee failed to arrange mandatory drug tests in time, affecting 13 qualified athletes. More recently, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, she finished sixth in the 200m final, but was inexplicably not entered in the 100m, despite meeting the qualification standard. She lamented, “I qualified but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me,” a devastating blow after four years of preparation.
Social media sentiment has turned sharply critical of the AFN following Ofili’s announcement. One X user wrote, “Nigeria continues to lose elite talents because the system is broken beyond repair.” Many expressed hurt over how recurring administrative blunders are forcing top-tier athletes to seek greener pastures, with Nigeria’s international track reputation increasingly at risk.
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