Tonobok Okowa, President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has said that the federation will not stop sprinter Favour Ofili if she chooses to switch allegiance to another country, describing her as “old enough to decide what’s best for her.”
Reports emerged on Sunday claiming the 22-year-old has contacted the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to initiate a nationality switch, citing frustrations with the AFN during past international competitions. However, the World Athletics (WA) website still lists Ofili as a Nigerian athlete.
Speaking on the issue, Okowa said the AFN has received no official notification from either WA or Ofili, and only learned of the development through the media.
“If it’s true, it’s sad and disappointing,” Okowa said. “We haven’t received any formal communication from her or World Athletics. She’s a talented athlete with great potential.”
He noted that Ofili had already received her training grant for the year, and that the AFN and National Sports Commission have made efforts to support her preparation for international events. Despite this, Okowa admitted that signs of her decision had been visible, especially given her growing ties to Turkey.
“She’s old enough to make her own choices,” he added. “It hurts, but we won’t stop her. She’ll always be one of us—our daughter and sister.”
Okowa also revealed that Ofili has been unresponsive to the federation’s outreach efforts since the Paris Olympics, where her name was initially omitted from a race she had qualified for. Though she later competed in the 200m final and placed sixth, the incident reportedly strained her relationship with the federation.
The AFN further described Ofili as a difficult athlete to manage, noting that she frequently avoided national trials or insisted on competing only in selected events.
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