The president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Tonobok Okowa, admits that Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili has switched allegiance to Turkey.
Mr. Okowa acknowledged the change and issued a warning that more athletes would choose to enroll in better-funded abroad programs at a news conference at the 2025 National Athletics Championship, which was hosted at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.
He said, “I can tell you that most of our elite athletes are already being approached by other countries to change their nationality and allegiance,”
“And as we speak, Favour Ofili has been taken by the Turkish Federation.”
Ofili made the move a few months prior to the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships. The move is imminent, according to federation sources, even though her name is still listed under Nigeria on the World Athletics website.
One of the main reasons why sportsmen like Ofili leave Nigeria, according to Okowa, is financial incentives.
“The kind of money they put on the table to get her is not something many athletes would refuse. That is why we are pleading with Nigeria as a nation and our government to come out and support us, so we don’t keep losing our athletes,” he stated.
According to reports, Turkey, which has increased its efforts to recruit international sportsmen in recent months, pays top performers who are ready to transfer up to $500,000.
