Tonobok Okowa, president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has stated that Favour Ofili is “old enough to decide what’s best for her” and that the federation will not prevent her from switching allegiance to another country if she chooses to do so.
On June 22, reports emerged that the 22-year-old sprinter had written to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) requesting a change of nationality, citing frustrations with the AFN during recent international competitions. However, the World Athletics (WA) website still lists Ofili as a Nigerian athlete.
Okowa revealed that the AFN was unaware of Ofili’s decision until media reports surfaced and that no official correspondence has been received from her or World Athletics regarding the nationality switch.
“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,” Okowa said. He acknowledged Ofili’s potential and noted that she had already been paid her training grant for the year.
The AFN president also mentioned that Ofili has been difficult to engage since the Paris Olympics, with attempts to reconcile proving unsuccessful. The federation described her as “difficult to deal with,” noting that she often skipped national trials or selectively competed in preferred events.
“Despite our own inadequacies, on several occasions she shunned the national trials, and even when she came, she selected the events she preferred to compete in,” the federation stated.
While expressing pain over the situation, Okowa affirmed that the AFN is working well with other top athletes and wished Ofili success in her future endeavors, wherever they may take her.
