Team Nigeria have finally arrived in Gaborone, Botswana, after a grueling journey that stretched over 30 hours and included a 19-hour layover in Addis Ababa, as they begin final preparations for the World Athletics Relays starting on May 2.
The contingent departed Lagos in the early hours of Monday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight. The first leg lasted five hours and 20 minutes, delivering them to Ethiopia for what turned into a long wait. After the 19-hour stopover, they resumed their journey on Tuesday morning on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft that briefly landed at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe before completing the final stretch into Botswana.
Their arrival completes the movement of the full Nigerian delegation. An advance party led by Athletics Federation of Nigeria secretary Israel Inwang had left for Gaborone on Sunday alongside sprinters Enoch Adegoke and Ezekiel Asuquo. That group handled logistics and accreditation before the main team landed.
The travelling party includes four coaches with AFN technical director Gabriel Okon overseeing preparations for the championship, which runs from May 2 to 3. Nigeria will compete in all six relay events after receiving approval from World Athletics to enter a full programme. The team had initially qualified in only three disciplines.
The competition carries significant weight as a direct qualification pathway for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. A total of 723 athletes from 40 countries are registered, including all six reigning champions from the 2025 edition and medal-winning nations from recent World Championships and Olympic Games.
Nigeria’s preparations received a major boost with the arrival of sprinter Favour Ashe at the team’s Lagos camp before departure. There had been uncertainty over his availability after reports linked him with a potential switch of allegiance to Qatar. Sources within the federation confirmed that Ashe, whose 100-metre personal best stands at 9.94 seconds, held discussions with National Sports Commission director general Bukola Olopade before rejoining the squad.
Ashe has been named in the men’s 4x100m team alongside Enoch Adegoke, James Emmanuel, Chidera Ezeakor, and Tejiri Godwin. Team captain Patience Okon-George leads the women’s contingent. Nigeria has entered squads across the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m events, as well as the mixed relays.
The squad will be further strengthened by the arrival of Chidi Okezie, who is currently in South Africa for the Simbine Classics and will join from Pretoria. Two other athletes, Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma, are expected to travel separately from their bases in the United States.
With the difficult journey now behind them, the focus shifts entirely to the track. The next few days of training in Gaborone will determine how well Nigeria can convert this ambitious slate of entries into qualification spots on the global stage.
