Team Nigeria will depart for Ghana on Monday ahead of the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships scheduled to take place in Accra from May 12 to 17.
According to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, the country will be represented by a 41-athlete contingent comprising 17 male and 24 female athletes competing across 26 track and field events.
The delegation is expected to travel through Murtala Muhammed International Airport, while some foreign-based athletes have already arrived directly in Accra ahead of the championships.
The team will be led by AFN president, Tonobok Okowa, alongside 10 technical officials.
Nigeria’s squad features a blend of home-based and foreign-based athletes under the supervision of AFN technical director, Gabriel Okon, and national head coach, Solomon Aliyu.
World record holder Tobi Amusan will lead Nigeria’s medal charge in the women’s 100m hurdles.
Other notable athletes in the contingent include Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ashe, Chidi Okezie, Obiageri Amaechi and Oyesade Olatoye.
The team also includes several young athletes who recently represented Nigeria at the World Relays in Gaborone, including Godwin Tejiri, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo and Toheebat Jimoh.
Nigeria will also compete in middle and long-distance events, with Comfort James set for the women’s 800m, while Aderonke Akanbi will feature in both the women’s 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase.
In the men’s category, Gang James Boyi will compete in the 1,500m and 5,000m events.
Meanwhile, Nigeria suffered a setback ahead of the championships after decathlon national record holder Jami Schlueter and African shot put record holder Jessica Oji were ruled out.
Schlueter is expected to miss the competition due to visa-related complications.
Speaking on the preparations, Okowa disclosed that the federation had been working to resolve travel documentation issues affecting some foreign-based athletes, especially those based in the United States.
