By our reporter 31.3.2026
Athletics Federation of Nigeria and its ‘fur baby parent’ the National Sports Commission have been pressuring sprinter Ashe Favour to return to Nigeria.
The sprinter one of Nigeria’s fastest sprinters in recent times joined his other countrymen in Qatar where they hope to advance their track and field career and also gain financially. Ashe Favour is not yet eligible to run for the Arab country till 2028 but has been competing regularly with athletics clubs while the waiting period lasted.
Cashing on this the AFN, NSC and other concerned third-party interests have been bombarding the athlete with midnight telephone calls promising to double his training grants and give higher incentives he will not regret.
It was gathered that AFN officials sensed that their chances of winning sprints and relay medals at the Commonwealth Games later in the year is slim, hence the pressure mounted on Ashe Favour.
“It got to a point Ashe Favour was confused and was unable to concentrate,” said a source
“But ultimately he decided to follow through with his choice to move away from the toxic Nigerian athletics environment. I understand that he has blocked his Nigerian phone line so that he couldn’t be reached for further communication with the Nigerian athletics officials.”