According to The PUNCH, Team Nigeria will go to Ghana today in preparation for the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra. A group of forty-one athletes will compete for Nigeria over the course of six days starting on Tuesday.
The team will travel through Lagos’ Murtala Mohammed International Airport for the championships, which are set to take place from May 12 to May 17, according to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. Several athletes from other countries have already arrived in Accra.
At the continental extravaganza, 17 male and 24 female competitors from Nigeria will compete in 26 track and field events.
Ten technical personnel are anticipated to accompany the athletes, and AFN president Tonobok Okowa will lead the squad.
Under the direction of national head coach Solomon Aliyu and AFN technical director Gabriel Okon, the team consists of both domestic and international athletes.
Olu Sule, Deji Aliu, Gabriel Opuana, Kolawole Adebayo, Saheed Akinpelu, Mavuah Esabunor, Pade Lawal, and Henry Okorie are among the other coaches accompanying the group.
Nigeria’s campaign in the women’s 100-meter hurdles is led by world record holder Tobi Amusan. Other elite competitors include sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma, sprint star Favour Ashe, quarter-miler Chidi Okezie, discus thrower Obiageri Amaechi, and hammer throw expert Oyesade Olatoye.
The team also consists of a number of young athletes, like Godwin Tejiri, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo, and Toheebat Jimoh, who competed for Nigeria at the recent World Relays in Gaborone.
As part of the federation’s enhanced efforts in those categories, Nigeria will also participate in middle and long-distance competitions.
Aderonke Akanbi, a rising distance runner, is entered in the women’s 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase events, while Comfort James will compete for the nation in the 800m.
Gang James Boyi, who has dominated local 10-kilometer races in the past year, will compete in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter events in the men’s division.
have experienced a minor setback following the exclusion of African shot put record holder Jessica Oji and decathlon national record holder Jami Schlueter from the tournament.
According to information obtained by The PUNCH, Schlueter will not be able to attend the championships in Ghana because of issues with his visa.
AFN president Tonobok Okowa had previously acknowledged that the organization was having trouble obtaining travel documents for some of its athletes who were located abroad, especially those who were based in the United States.
In an interview with our correspondent regarding Nigeria’s championship preparations, Okowa clarified that the federation was attempting to address travel concerns that affected athletes who held American passports as well as those who were located outside.
“We’re trying to figure out how quickly we can get some of the athletes from overseas to obtain visas so they can leave the US and come back. We are also considering that, particularly for people with American passports or those who were born there but are currently in Nigeria. Okowa stated, “Let’s see what happens in Ghana.”
Following efforts spearheaded by coach Gabriel Opuan, the AFN president also indicated that the organization hoped to display recently switched athletes, such as Schlueter and Oji, at the championships.
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