President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has raised the alarm over the mass departure of Nigerian athletes to other countries, warning that without immediate and significant investment in the sport, Nigeria risks losing its brightest stars.

Speaking on the sidelines of the AFN selection trials for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Okowa lamented the growing trend of athletes switching nationalities for better support and opportunities abroad.

“Favour Ofili is as good as gone,” Okowa declared. “She’s close to switching allegiance to Turkey because of the lack of financial support. And she won’t be the last. Others are already eyeing the exit.”

This growing trend has become a familiar sight at global events. At the last World Championships and the 2024 Olympics, athletes of Nigerian descent won medals—not for Nigeria, but for other nations. Nigeria, meanwhile, returned home empty-handed.

Okowa stressed that the country must drastically scale up funding, invest in athlete development, and prepare adequately for global competitions if it wants to reclaim its place on the podium.

“The talent is there,” he said, “but without proper funding, we’ll keep celebrating athletes in foreign colours while our officials count missed opportunities.”