Ashe Finds ‘New Life’ in Qatar, Says: ‘Some of The People Managing Our Sports in Nigeria Do Not Have Human Feelings’

One of Nigeria’s fastest sprinters in recent years, Favour Ashe, says he is enjoying a ‘new life’ in Qatar after deciding to switch allegiance from Nigeria.

However, his transfer is yet to be approved by World Athletics, just like that of fellow sprinter Favour Ofili, who recently opted to represent Turkey.

Ashe, who anchored Nigeria’s 4x100m relay team to bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been one of the country’s most consistent performers.

He won the 100m gold at the Nigerian Championships in 2022 with a time of 9.99 seconds, only the second sub-10 winning mark in the history of the event after Deji Aliu ran 998 to win in 2003.

He boasts a 9.94 personal best in the 100m and a 6.51 best in the 60m indoors, and impressively ran under 10 seconds for three straight seasons (2022–2024). In 2025, he managed a season’s best of 10.08 seconds before deciding to move abroad.

Explaining his decision, Ashe told The Guardian: ‘This is not to rubbish what Nigeria has done for us over the years, but I must say some of the people managing our sports do not have human feelings.

‘Last year, I decided to take part in the National Sports Festival. I thought my presence was to add colour to the event, but it turned out to be a wrong decision based on the way and manner the people treated me. It was like I was just begging to be part of Nigeria athletics. That is wrong.’

He also lamented the poor training facilities in Nigeria, saying they held back his progress compared to what he now enjoys in Qatar.

‘Taking my athletics to Nigeria was a bit setback. I was struggling to meet up in everything in training because the track was not up to standard. Now, I have completed my study in the United States, and I can no longer make use of the College facilities for training. I just have to move.’

Ashe revealed he has been in Qatar for five months and was surprised by the number of Nigerian athletes already training there. He believes they can form a formidable 4x100m relay team for Qatar once WA clears their transfers.

The Qatar Athletics Federation has already taken Ashe and other athletes on a training tour in South Africa to begin their season, an opportunity he says Nigeria never provided.

‘This is something Nigeria has never done since I began my athletics career. I so much cherish this opportunity.’

His move highlights a growing trend: a host of Nigerian athletes have switched allegiance in recent years, frustrated by the inefficiencies of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Sports Commission.

Many complain of being given token training grants, sometimes as little as ₦5,000, while officials act as though they are doing world-class athletes a favour.