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Athletics enthusiasts in Nigeria have thrown their weight behind women’s 150m world record holder, Favour Ofili, amid her alleged switch of allegiance to Turkey, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Ofili’s switch was first announced by Jamaica-based journalist Kayon Raynor on Sunday.
“Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has switched allegiance to Turkey as of May 31, 2025. According to impeccable TVJ News Centre sources, 22-year-old Ofili has advised the Athletics Integrity Unit of her frustration with the Nigerian Athletics Federation,” Raynor posted via X.
He added that Ofili cited missing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the failure of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigeria Olympic Committee to register her for the 100m event at the last games in Paris and that the switch was not financially motivated.
AFN president, Tonobok Okowa, who was just reelected for a second term in office, has expressed shock over the development.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening and painful but we are yet to get any official statement from her or any correspondence from World Athletics, on her request. She is a promising athlete with huge potential,” Okowa said in a statement.
“From the moves we have been making to get her fully prepared and back to the big athletics family and her response, it’s also clear that she had been preparing and working on her new found Turkish love. She is old enough to decide what’s best for her but it is painful and hard to take for us, however, we will not stop her, she is still our child, sister and daughter.
We want to apologise to Nigerians, the National Sports Commission and the millions of people around the world who hold the sport and country in high esteem for this sad development.”
Meanwhile, Ofili has been backed by Nigerians to restart her career in the European country.
A certain Bruce Benson wrote on Facebook, “Congratulations. Nigeria doesn’t deserve you. Turkey will give you more benefits.”
Best decision. Congratulations darling. I wish Tobi express and the rest of them can switch as well,” another fan Nneka Maj Oliver wrote.
A journalist, Solace Chukwu, also blamed the country’s poor system which has frustrated the athlete recently.
“If we are keeping it a buck, Nigeria produces no athletes in the proper sense. We all should know this. Let’s avoid disingenuous, hair-splitting arguments. Pleased for Favour Ofili. If you are a fan of hers, you will be too, and enjoy her success whether in green or red.”
While the AFN has just completed its election which brought back Okowa for a second tenure, another fan, David Balogun, suggests that the board should be sacked.
When missing two Olympics due to incompetence of the AFN, then it’s the right thing to do if you’re not appreciated in a place. All the board of the AFN must be changed completely and replaced with sports personalities and not politicians.”
Meanwhile, the World Athletics still lists Ofili as a Nigerian athlete on its profile.
The 22-year-old is one of the Nigerian athletes who have qualified for the World Championships, which will be held from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo.
The Turkish athletics body has been shopping for athletes this year, including Jamaicans, and reportedly pays as much as $500,000 to foreign athletes to switch allegiance to the European country.
Following administrative lapses, Nigeria has a rich list of athletes like Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) Gloria Alozie (Spain), Florence Ekpo-Umoh (Germany), Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain), Femi Ogunode (Qatar), amongst several others, who dumped the country for other nations and went on to excel in their careers internationally.
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