The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has debunked widespread speculation surrounding Favour Ofili’s alleged switch of allegiance to Turkey, confirming that the elite Nigerian sprinter remains committed to representing the country.
Speaking during a press briefing at the World Press Conference for the Confederation of African Athletics U-18 and U-20 Championships in Abuja on Wednesday, Olopade—who also chairs the Local Organising Committee—dismissed the reports as unfounded.
“Favour Ofili is still representing Nigeria. She wrote to the NSC two months ago, reaffirming her commitment to compete for Nigeria,”
Olopade stated. “When I resumed as DG of the NSC, I personally reached out to her, and she confirmed her allegiance to Nigeria.”
According to Olopade, Ofili remains actively involved in national programmes and is one of 69 athletes who received financial support from the commission in April 2025.
He emphasized that there has been no official communication from World Athletics or any national federation suggesting a nationality change.
The NSC’s clarification follows earlier reports suggesting that Ofili—Nigeria’s 150m world record holder and multiple-time international medalist—was in the process of transferring her sporting nationality to Turkey.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had previously responded to those claims with concern, with its president, Tonobok Okowa, acknowledging previous shortcomings in supporting the athlete.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening and painful,” Okowa said. “But we are yet to receive any official statement from her or from World Athletics regarding the switch. She is old enough to decide what’s best for her, but it is still hard to accept.”
Should Ofili ultimately pursue a change of allegiance, World Athletics regulations would impose a mandatory three-year waiting period before she becomes eligible to compete for Turkey, due to her participation for Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The development, if confirmed, would add Ofili to a growing list of Nigerian-born athletes who have gone on to represent other countries at major international events.
Among them are Francis Obikwelu (Portugal), Gloria Alozie (Spain), Florence Ekpo-Umoh (Germany), Femi Ogunode (Qatar), and Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain).
Reports have alleged that the Turkish Athletics Federation has been actively recruiting foreign athletes by offering significant financial incentives to strengthen their international competitiveness.
However, for now, Ofili remains firmly under the Nigerian flag, according to the NSC.