Breaking: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish”: Favour Ofili Dumps Nigeria for Turkey After Years of Neglect
In a bold and emotional move, Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili has officially dumped the green-white-green jersey, opting to compete for Turkey ahead of the Tokyo 2025 World Championships and beyond.
This decision follows what she described as years of repeated betrayal, neglect, and mishandling by Nigeria’s sporting authorities. Ofili had recently hit the Olympic qualifying standard in the 100m, only for her name to be omitted yet again by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC).
It was the second Olympic heartbreak for the Louisiana State University (LSU) graduate. In 2021, she missed out on competing in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics after the AFN and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Committee (NADC) failed to ensure mandatory testing, an oversight that sidelined 14 Nigerian athletes in one of the most embarrassing episodes in the country’s athletics history.
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Frustrated, Ofili formally wrote to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), beginning the process of transferring allegiance on May 31, 2024. Just days later, the same AFN leadership that failed her twice was re-elected, compounding her loss of faith in Nigeria’s sports management.
In a now-viral message shared on social media, Ofili didn’t hold back. “To Nigeria, good riddance to bad rubbish. There are many useless, senseless people in leadership positions in this country. No love for the country whatsoever. You see talent and frustrate it because you want to steal.”
She went further, delivering a raw, searing commentary on the greed and selfishness crippling Nigerian institutions:
“Can anyone eat more than their stomach? Can anyone sleep in two rooms or live in two houses at the same time? Can anyone drive two cars at once? If you want to loot, fine. But take only what you need for survival and let the rest build this nation and its talents.”
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Ofili’s switch is yet another painful reminder of Nigeria’s unending talent drain—one in which athletes choose dignity, support, and structure abroad over chaos, corruption, and mediocrity at home.
Barring any delays, she is expected to wear Turkish colours at the World Championships in Tokyo later this year, and possibly at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.