The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has expressed its shock and surprise with the news making the rounds that one of the country’s top female athletes Favour Ofili is seeking to switch allegiance to Turkiye.
In a statement elucidating the reaction of the President of the AFN, Tonobok Okowa, to the news the organisation said: “Just like every other sports loving person in Nigeria, on the continent and beyond that he and his newly elected board read and heard her desire to change nationality from the media.
“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 (WA), on her request. She is a promising athlete with huge potential.
“The AFN and the National Sports Commission (NSC), have been working hard to get athletics and other sports in the country back on track and to show that both bodies are matching goals, objectives and words with action, Favour Ofili had already been paid her training grant for this year.”
Okowa went on to state that, the 22 year old athlete has prevented the Federation from reaching her and that all efforts to heal the wounds caused by the 100m Paris Olympic Games omission has proved abortive.
“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’s painful and hard to take for us. However, we will not stop her, she is still our child, sister and daughter,” the CAA Vice President stressed.
“We want to apologize to Nigerians, the National Sports Commission(NSC) and the millions of people around the world who hold the sport and country in high esteem for this sad development. Lots of Athletics Federation of Nigeria officials are heart broken about the matter, but they will not oppose Ofili’s wish to change her colours.
“Despite our own inadequacies, on several occasions she shunned the national trials and even when she came, she selects the events she preferes to compete in. At the 2024 African Championships in Cameroon she refused to compete in the 100m after running in the heats, claiming that the organisers did not provide the right atmosphere for competition. She also did not turn up for the last Africa Games in Accra, Ghana.
“No doubt Ofili is one of our best athletes in recent times but she is difficult to deal with,” said the Federation. The AFN has its issues, but we are getting along well with other top athletes and are still thriving within the system. We wish her well in whatever she is doing and wherever she is going.”
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