Ofili leaving Nigeria with five national records and as greatest indoor performer of all time
Favour Ofili has confirmed her rumored decision to switch allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey following the horrendous treatment she received from the Nigerian athletics body, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN.
Twice she was shortchanged at the biggest sporting fiesta in the world, namely, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she was disqualified along with nine others for not completing a mandatory three no-notice out-of-competition tests, following the Athletics Integrity Unit’s decision to upgrade Nigeria to Category A, a designation for countries with the highest doping risks.
The AFN failed to ensure that Ofili and the other athletes completed the tests. However, the President of the Federation, Tonobok Okowa, in an interview with ESPN, shifted the blame onto Ofili and, by extension, the other nine athletes, ignoring the fact that it is the AFN’s responsibility to ensure compliance, even when athletes appear to be uncooperative.
Three years later, she was again denied the chance to compete in the 100m event at the Paris Olympic Games despite qualifying to run in the event.
To compound her woes, the two officials indicted for administrative ineptitude remain unpunished. One is back on the board of the AFN, while the other has been posted to another sports federation as Secretary General.
A $5,000 compensation was recommended by the investigative committee set up after the country’s negative exposure at the Games, but both the National Sports Commission and the AFN have refused to accept fault.
Now, Ofili has moved on to Turkey while still holding five Nigerian records and the greatest indoor performance by a Nigerian woman.
The 22-year-old holds the record for the 200m indoors (22.11) and outdoors (21.96). She will forever remain the first Nigerian woman to run under 23 seconds indoors and under 22 seconds outdoors.
She also holds the 150m record (15.85 WR) and the 300m record indoors (35.99) and outdoors (35.99).
The Louisiana State University (LSU) graduate is leaving with the greatest performance by a Nigerian woman ever.
Her 22.11 Nigeria and African 200m indoor record, set in March 2023, is the highest rated indoor performance by a Nigerian woman.
According to the World Athletics Scoring Tables of Athletics (2025 revised edition), Ofili’s 22.11 time is worth 1264 points, a massive 46 points above Tobi Amusan’s 7.75 Nigerian 60m hurdles record (1218 points).
Ofili also departs as the first Nigerian in 28 years to reach the final of the 200m at the Olympics since Mary Onyali in Atlanta, and only the second in history to do so.
