Athletics Federation of Nigeria has failed Ofili

At the moment, most Nigerians are still trying to comprehend the shocking news that one of the country’s finest athletes, Favour Ofili, who specialises in sprints, is on the verge of switching her nationality to Turkey. Indeed, even as her relationship with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has been anything but cordial, the news about her planned defection took almost everyone by surprise.

Many people didn’t see it coming, but for some, it wasn’t a surprise because of the poor treatment the 22-year-old athlete had suffered in the hands of the sports federation that is supposed to provide the enabling environment for her to thrive. In a form of retaliation, she also decided to distance herself from all AFN-related activities. For instance, she didn’t attend the last African Games in Ghana.

The faceoff between Ofili and the AFN began in 2020 when negligence on the part of the federation officials denied her the opportunity to make her Olympics debut in Tokyo. After arriving in Japan, she was ruled out of the Olympics because the AFN had failed to ensure that she and 10 others met the minimum drug-testing requirements.

Although it is said that lightning does not strike twice at the same spot, Ofili suffered another heartbreak at the 2024 Paris Olympics when the AFN again failed to submit her name for her favourite race – the 100m – so she wasn’t able to compete in it.

Even as she was completely devastated after the shocking news, Ofili gathered herself and competed in the 200m event and stunned many when she finished sixth in the final on her Olympic debut. As a matter of fact, she remained in the top three overall for both preliminary and semi-final rounds.

After the Paris Olympics, the then Minister of Sports, John Enoh, set up a probe committee to investigate the poor performance of Team Nigeria at the games.  In the end, the seven-man committee, among other decisions, recommended that the thoroughly traumatised Ofili should be compensated with $5,000 and a letter of apology. Unfortunately, the recommendations of the committee have not been implemented.

Consequently, the relationship between the AFN and the young athlete continued to degenerate as she concluded in her mind that some officials of the federation were out to frustrate her. Of course, for a youngster who boasts of national and international records, Ofili didn’t expect anything less than maximum and unwavering support from the AFN.

Sadly, she was perceived to be uncontrollable by some officials who preferred that she should keep mute, even in the face of bad leadership. However, since there is an end to everything, Ofili decided to put a stop to the cat-and-mouse relationship by applying to the Athletics’ Integrity Unit to switch her nationality from Nigeria to Turkey.

But when a Jamaica-based journalist, Kayon Raynor broke the news on his X handle that Ofili had dumped Nigeria, most people, especially those who never knew about the frosty relationship between the AFN and the former world junior champion, expressed shock and disappointment.

The president of the AFN, Chief Tonobok Okowa issued a press statement expressing his personal shock and that of the whole country. He claimed that his board was already working on healing the wounds inflicted on the athlete by his predecessors.

Curiously, as if he was waiting for Ofili to take the decision that is already giving some Nigerians sleepless nights, the AFN president quickly bade her farewell. He was quoted in a statement as saying, “From the moves we have been making to get her fully prepared and back to the big athletics family and her response, it is also clear that she had been preparing and working on her new found Turkish love.

“She is old enough to decide what is best for her, but it is painful and hard to take for us. However, we will not stop her. She is still our child, sister and daughter.”

This conclusion, to me, was too hasty, considering that Ofili’s application is yet to get the approval of World Athletics. The president’s reaction didn’t show the desire to go the extra mile to retain the invaluable national asset.

Anyway, the soothing news is that Ofili is still listed on the World Athletics website as a Nigerian athlete. Secondly, the AFN has said the World Athletics governing body is yet to communicate it on the well reported change of nationality.  Thirdly, the National Sports Commission (NSC) director-general, Bukola Olapade, at a recent press briefing in Abuja, assured everyone that Ofili would continue to represent Nigeria.

Despite this assurance, I am sure it will take something extraordinary to convince the athlete to change her mind. Although she has said that money is not the reason for her action, the whiff of money that Turkey is using to woo world-class athletes is almost irresistible. It is said that if Ofili is successful, she would be entitled to a sign-on fee of $500,000 and $30,000 monthly training grant.

The sign-on fee and training grants are not among other incentives like kit endorsement and access to an exclusive training centre as a Turkish athlete. If you convert the dollars being dangled before her into naira, you would appreciate the quantum of money she would receive. What Ofili’s country offers is a far cry from what Turkey is prepared to splash on her.

In any case, the AFN should do everything possible to convince Ofili to change her mind. The federation must show, in words and deeds, that it is indeed remorseful and sorry for all its misdeeds. Moreover, it won’t be too much if President Bola Tinubu would personally step in to convince the athlete to change her mind. If Ofili’s case is not given the presidential attention it deserves, in no distant future, Nigeria would lose more athletes.

Meanwhile, Ofili, too, should temper justice with mercy. Of course, switching to Turkey may be a life-changing opportunity, but north, south, east or west, there is no place like home. Most of her compatriots like Gloria Alozie, who dumped Nigeria in the past, have since expressed regret and apologised for their “mistake.”

In addition, Ofili should consider the fact that by World Athletics’ eligibility rule, having competed for Nigeria at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she may be subjected to a mandatory three-year waiting period before she would qualify to represent her alleged adopted country. This long break would impact negatively on her illustrious career.

Indeed, by subjecting her to so many heartbreaks, AFN has failed Ofili, but with genuine repentance and the right approach, the current holder of Nigeria’s national 200m record will be convinced to halt this dangerous move that has the potential to ravage Nigerian athletics. If she is allowed to go, others will surely follow in her footsteps. After all, Japa is trending in Nigeria.