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Favour Ofili is still a Nigerian athlete, the National Sports Commission has insisted, dismissing fresh talk that the sprint star has cut ties with the country. The commission spoke after comments attributed to a coach suggested the 200m specialist no longer saw a future with Team Nigeria.
Officials say nothing has changed on paper. World Athletics earlier this year rejected a request from the Turkish Athletics Federation to switch Ofili’s allegiance, ruling that she remains eligible to compete only for Nigeria at major events such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Why the NSC keeps calling Favour Ofili home
Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, has repeatedly framed the matter in personal terms. He describes the 22-year-old as a daughter of the nation and says the door to the national team is wide open, urging those around her to encourage a return rather than a fight.
The commission insists it wants to support the sprinter, not punish her. Officials say plans are in motion to have her represent Nigeria again, including at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where her speed could help refresh a relay and sprint pool badly in need of medal contenders.
How the Turkey switch fell apart
Ofili’s frustration grew after a series of administrative failures cost her chances on the global stage, including a missed Olympic 100m entry that drew national outrage. Seeking a fresh start, she pursued a transfer of allegiance to Turkey, a route several athletes have taken in recent seasons.
The World Athletics nationality panel blocked the move, citing concerns about the integrity of competition and what it described as coordinated recruitment of athletes across several countries. The decision left the sprinter eligible for Nigeria but unwilling, for a time, to commit publicly to the green-and-white vest.
A pattern of athletes seeking exits
Ofili is not the only Nigerian talent to weigh leaving. Years of missed entries, late payments and poor planning have pushed several athletes to consider competing for other nations, and each high-profile case sharpens the debate about how the country manages its brightest sporting prospects.
Sports administrators say reforms are under way, from clearer qualification processes to better welfare and communication. The commission argues that holding on to Ofili, and convincing her the lapses of the past will not repeat, is a test of whether those promises mean anything.
What the latest row means
The new flare-up shows how raw the relationship remains. Sources close to the athlete have stressed that her grievances were with officials, not the country, while the commission says it has worked to fix the systems that failed her, from entry deadlines to travel logistics and athlete welfare.
For Nigerian athletics, the stakes are high. Ofili is one of the fastest women the country has produced in years, and a clean reconciliation would strengthen relay teams targeting the Commonwealth Games and future global championships. A messy split, by contrast, would hand a generational talent to a rival nation.
What happens next
For now, the official position is simple. The National Sports Commission says Favour Ofili is, and remains, a Nigerian athlete until any rule says otherwise. Whether she dons the national colours again will depend less on paperwork and more on trust rebuilt between the sprinter, her camp and the country’s sports leadership.
