Chinyere Eze and Tyler Johnson Confirmed to Represent Nigeria by World Athletics
Diana Chinyere Eze and Tyler Johnson are the latest diaspora athletes to have their change of allegiance to Nigeria confirmed by World Athletics.
Eze, who will be 20 in September, completed her switch from South Africa in December 2025.
The ruling meant she was recognized as eligible to represent South Africa until December 1, 2025, but from December 2 she could officially compete for Nigeria.
This was possible under Rule 4.2.1, which simply requires that an athlete be a legal citizen of the country they wish to represent.
Once her Nigerian citizenship was acknowledged, she was cleared to compete without delay. Her personal bests stand at 12.02 seconds in the 100m, 24.24 in the 200m, and 56.07 in the 400m.
Johnson’s case followed a different path.
Born in February 1998, he last competed in April 2022 when he ran a lifetime best of 44.95 seconds in the 400m. With roots traced to Esan in Edo State, he has now chosen to represent Nigeria.
His switch was approved in February 2026, but unlike Eze, he had previously represented the United States. Because of that, Rule 4.2.4 applied. He ran in a 4x400m event in March 2018 for Team USA.
This rule governs athletes who have already competed for another nation, requiring proper documentation and a waiting period before they can represent their new country.
As a result, Johnson’s eligibility date was set for March 6, 2026, even though his switch was confirmed earlier.
It is a striking development at a time when some of Nigeria’s finest athletes have abandoned the country due to frustrations with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the National Sports Commission (NSC).
Yet, others in the diaspora are choosing to embrace Nigeria. Athletics watchers remain cautious, however.
In Nigerian parlance, some of these athletes have ‘japa’ to Nigeria, but there are fears they may be forced to ‘japada’ if mismanagement persists.
The case of Annette Echikunwoke looms large: she was compelled to switch allegiance back to the USA after Nigerian officials’ incompetence cost her a place at the 2020 Olympics, despite no fault of her own.
