With the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo just weeks away, frustration is mounting within Nigeria’s athletics community over the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) failure to fully pay elite athletes their promised grants.
Coaches and athletes alike say the NSC’s silence is breeding disunity and undermining Nigeria’s preparations for the global event scheduled for September 13–21.
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“Some athletes have been paid grants while others have not,” lamented Gabriel Opuana, President of the Nigeria Coaches Association.
“This is causing disaffection among the athletes and it’s one of the reasons they are not giving their best in the chase for relays.”
The lack of support, many believe, has left the athletes feeling abandoned at a critical time when they should be fully focused on performance.
Even more troubling are the concerns of U.S.-based athletes who returned home for the National Trials and then stayed back to compete at the CAA Region II Championships in Accra, Ghana, without receiving any form of incentive.
“These are athletes who are supposed to be doing summer jobs to support their finances in the USA,” said veteran coach Tony Osheku.
“Now they are going back to school without a kobo for representing Nigeria. It will be good for the NSC to kindly honour their commitment.”
The affected athletes include:
Favour Onyah
Pristina Ochonogor
Onwaeze Nnamdi
Observers warn that if urgent steps are not taken, the morale of Nigeria’s top athletes will continue to dwindle, putting the country at risk of underperforming yet again on the world stage.
Attempts to get a response from Yusuf Alli, CEO of the Elite Athletes Development and Podium Board, proved unsuccessful.
At a time when other nations are investing heavily in their athletes to secure medals in Tokyo, Nigerian athletes are still begging for what was promised to them months ago.
Stakeholders said the NSC should guarantee timely and transparent support for its athletes as Nigeria’s hopes for podium finishes.
