AFN’s response to Ofili’s rumoured change of allegiance reveals systemic failures

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), in its recent press release addressing Favour Ofili’s reported switch of allegiance to Turkey, has inadvertently laid bare a troubling pattern of administrative lapses and inconsistent athlete management—while attempting to cast the athlete in a negative light.

In the statement, AFN President Chief Tonobok Okowa expressed ‘shock and surprise’ at the news, claiming the federation only learned of Ofili’s decision through the media. Yet, in the same breath, the AFN acknowledged that ‘all efforts to heal the wounds caused by 100m Paris Olympic Games omission have proved abortive,’ a tacit admission of the federation’s role in the athlete’s growing disillusionment.

Ofili, a 2024 Olympic 200m finalist and 150m world record holder, had previously missed the Tokyo 2020 Games due to the AFN’s failure to meet anti-doping compliance requirements. The Paris 2024 Games saw a repeat of this dysfunction, with the federation failing to register her for the 100m event despite her season-best 10.78s performance.

Rather than take full responsibility, the AFN’s statement attempts to shift blame, describing Ofili as ‘difficult to deal with’ and accusing her of ‘shunning national trials’ and ‘selecting the events she prefers to compete in.’

However, the same statement admits that ‘despite our own inadequacies, on several occasions she shunned the national trials and even when she came, she selects the events she prefers to compete in,’ revealing a culture of selective enforcement and favoritism.

This inconsistency is not new. The federation’s decision to drop Seye Ogunlewe from the Olympic team despite meeting all criteria, while selecting an injured Godson Oghenebrume who did not participate in trials, further underscores the lack of transparency and fairness in athlete selection.

While the AFN claims it ‘will not stop her’ and still considers Ofili ‘our child, sister, and daughter,’ the tone of the release and its selective recounting of events suggest an attempt to deflect from institutional shortcomings by questioning the athlete’s loyalty.

If anything, this press release serves as a mirror—reflecting a federation grappling with its own credibility, and a cautionary tale for how not to manage elite talent in a competitive global sports landscape.