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AFN President Officially Confirms Favour Ofili’s Switch to Turkey .
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AFN blames financial neglect for rising athlete departures.
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Okowa urges sponsors, says Nigerian talents are fast improving
President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has confirmed that Nigerian-born sprinter, Favour Ofili, now based in the United States, has officially switched her international allegiance to Turkey.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that this development comes weeks ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, scheduled to hold in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21.
At a press briefing during the 2025 National Athletics Championships in Lagos, Okowa lamented the growing trend of elite Nigerian athletes being poached by other countries due to lack of financial support.
“Favour Ofili has been taken by the Turkish Federation. The kind of money they put on the table to get her is not something many athletes would refuse,” Okowa said.
Although Ofili is still listed under Nigeria on the World Athletics website, insiders confirm that her switch is underway, with an official update expected soon.
Reports suggest Turkey is offering as much as $500,000 to attract top-performing athletes ahead of global championships.
Okowa cited historical cases like Francis Obikwelu, Gloria Alozie, and Femi Ogunode, who also left Nigeria to represent other nations due to better incentives. He stressed that unless urgent investments are made in athletes’ welfare, Nigeria will continue to lose its top talents.
He called on the federal government and corporate sponsors to intervene, warning that reliance on government alone is not sustainable. Despite the setback, Okowa praised the growing performance of Nigerian athletes, especially in the men’s 100 metres.
“We must ask ourselves, what are we doing to keep them?” he said.
