Team Nigeria will depart for Accra, on Monday, for the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships, where 41 athletes will represent the country at the six-day competition scheduled for May 12 to 17.
Some foreign-based athletes have already arrived in Accra ahead of the main contingent.
According to a statement by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the delegation will be led by the federation’s president, Chief Tonobok Okowa.
The squad comprises 17 male and 24 female athletes competing in 26 track and field events.
The team features a blend of home-based and foreign professionals and will compete under the technical supervision of AFN Technical Director Gabriel Okon.
Okon will be assisted by nine coaches, including National Head Coach Solomon Aliyu (hurdles), Olu Sule (horizontal jumps), Deji Aliu (sprints), Gabriel Opuana (throws), Kolawole Adebayo (vertical jumps), Saheed Akinpelu (long sprints), Mavuah Esabunor (short sprints), Pade Lawal (women’s sprints), and Henry Okorie, who will serve as athletes’ representative.
Nigeria’s medal prospects will be led by world record holder Tobi Amusan in the women’s 100m hurdles. Other notable athletes in the squad include sprinter Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ashe, quarter-miler Chidi Okezie, discus thrower Obiageri Amaechi, and hammer thrower Oyesade Olatoye.
The team also includes promising young athletes who impressed at the recent World Relays in Gaborone, among them Godwin Tejiri, Miracle Ezechukwu, Rosemary Nwankwo, and Toheebat Jimoh.
In a renewed effort to strengthen its middle- and long-distance events, Nigeria has entered athletes in the 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, and 5,000m races.
James Comfort Anietie will compete in the women’s 800m, while rising star Aderonke Akanbi is set to feature in both the 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase events.
On the men’s side, Gang James Boyi, who has dominated Nigeria’s 10km road races over the past year, will compete in the 1,500m and 5,000m events at the championships.
With a blend of experienced champions and emerging talents, Team Nigeria heads to Accra aiming not only to compete strongly but also to reassert its dominance on the African athletics stage.
Judging by recent performances at the World Relays and domestic trials, the team is expected to make a strong impression at the University of Ghana Stadium ahead of a busy international season.
