The Sun
Adequate funding is vital for athletics to prevent the escalating trend of Nigerian athletes seeking citizenship in other countries for greater opportunities.
This call was made by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) President, Chief Tonobok Okowa, after Day 1 of the All Nigeria Athletics Trials at Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex on Friday, August 1, 2025. In his address, Okowa made a passionate appeal to the Nigerian business community and the federal government, stressing the need for urgent funding to support athletics and enable Nigerian athletes to remain in the country rather than seeking funding abroad for training and participation in sports.
According to Okowa, Nigeria’s athletics requires more funding for training, travelling, welfare, participation, and competitions both in the country and abroad.
The AFN president, in particular, mentioned top female athlete Favour Ofili, who is seeking Turkey’s nationality following her inability to get funds. “Favour Ofili is almost gone, and more athletes are about to seek other nations’ nationality, and the drift should stop through adequate funding for athletics by the sponsors and the Federal Government,” he said.
Regarding the performance of top Nigerian athletes at the ongoing All Nigeria Athletics Trials, Okowa stated that the athletes are doing well, especially the female athletes, and emphasised that the male athletes are also performing impressively. He noted that the male athletes are achieving remarkable times at the trials. His goal is to ensure that Nigeria’s relay teams qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September. He stressed that additional funding is necessary to achieve this but assured that Nigeria’s relay teams are expected to qualify.
The AFN president thanked the sponsors and the National Sports Commission (NSC) for providing financial support for the All Nigeria Athletics Trials in Lagos and urged well-meaning and sports-loving Nigerians to support athletics and athletes in Nigeria.
