By Joseph Kwewum
On February 15, 2026, Nigerian athlete and star sprinter Favour Ashe announced his decision to change his nation of representation from Nigeria to Qatar.
The development comes six months after Favour Ofili, another elite sprinter, declared her switch from Nigeria to Qatar.
The steady decline of Nigerian athletics over the past decade, marked by mismanagement and missed opportunities, underscores the urgent need for accountability in sports administration.
Corruption within the Nigerian football and athletics authorities is no longer a matter of speculation. There have been numerous accounts of players who now represent other countries alleging that they were overlooked in favour of inferior players with entrenched connections within the system.
The lack of urgency in recruiting emerging talents with Nigerian roots, whether born at home or abroad, further paints a troubling picture.
It is hardly a positive reflection when athletes begin to see Nigeria as a second option.
Beyond questionable recruitment practices, the state of facilities across the country reflects a deeper malaise. Dilapidated stadiums and poorly maintained pitches have contributed significantly to the struggles of the Nigeria national football team during both Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. For two consecutive World Cup qualifying series, the quality of playing surfaces has been a recurring issue. During the 2022 World Cup qualifying match against Ghana national football team in Abuja, the state of the pitch threatened to overshadow the contest itself and would have dominated post match discussions but for the painful defeat to a long standing rival.
Administrative lapses have extended even to areas once considered strengths. Nigeria has often been celebrated globally as one of the most stylish sporting nations, particularly for its kits and official attire. While production is outsourced, final approval rests with the relevant federations. Yet even this has faltered. Tobi Amusan, the world record holder in the 100 metres hurdles, took to social media to decry the substandard condition of her competition kit. Several other athletes echoed similar concerns during the 2025 athletics season in Tokyo, highlighting an embarrassing failure to ensure that Nigerian representatives were properly kitted.
More troubling, however, is a pattern of administrative negligence that has seen athletes left unregistered for major competitions. Neither Annette Echikunwoke nor Favour Ofili was registered for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
While Echikunwoke subsequently switched allegiance to the United States and went on to claim silver at the Paris Games four years later, Ofili remained loyal. Shockingly, she was again left unregistered, this time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Against this backdrop, Ashe’s decision to represent a country that guarantees administrative efficiency can hardly be described as surprising.
The exodus of elite athletes is symptomatic of deeper structural failings.
For millions of Nigerians who look to sport as a source of pride and escape, these repeated blunders represent more than isolated errors. They signal systemic decay.
We may lament the steady erosion of Nigeria’s sporting fortunes throughout the 2010s and 2020s. Yet genuine reform will only come when administrators are held accountable and governance standards are restored to protect the nation’s finest talents.
