Ogba Praises World Athletics For Rejecting Ofili’s Allegiance Switch To Turkey 

Chief Solomon Ogba, a prominent figure in global athletics and former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), on Thursday lauded World Athletics’ decision to deny Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili a change of allegiance to Turkiye.

Earlier on Thursday, the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel rejected Ofili’s application to transfer allegiance. Chief Ogba hailed the decision as a victory for Team Nigeria and many developing nations that invest heavily in nurturing athletes, only to see them recruited by economically powerful countries.

The panel’s report stated that approving the transfer would undermine key council imperatives, including safeguarding the credibility of national representative competitions and preventing the systematic recruitment of overseas athletes for Olympic representation. Ofili’s case was among 11 applications submitted by the Türkiye Athletics Federation, which World Athletics identified as part of a government-led recruitment strategy ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Despite acquiring Turkish citizenship and a lucrative club contract, Ofili remains ineligible to represent Turkiye in National Representative Competitions like the World Championships or Olympic Games.

Ogba expressed gratitude, stating, “I want to specially thank the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, a true friend of developing countries, members of the panel and the World Athletics family for standing with the truth. How can a country give an athlete the opportunity for his or her talent to blossom from primary school, to secondary school and to the collegiate level, then a country that doesn’t believe in the athlete when he or she is just a potential, come with bags full of money and snatch the athlete, it’s unfair, it’s unjust and should be discouraged.”

Ogba urged athletes to remain focused and committed to their careers, citing examples like Usain Bolt, Julien Alfred, and Eliud Kipchoge who achieved greatness without switching allegiances. He also cautioned athletes against managers, coaches, and friends who might push them towards decisions with negative long-term impacts.

“Most athletes who dumped Team Nigeria always come home to seek our help after their careers. My advice to our athlete is to stay where you are. The grass may look greener on the other side, but there is life after athletics, and it is only your country that will allow you to be a coach, a manager, president of the federation and other opportunities after your career,” Chief Ogba concluded.