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Favour Ashe, Rosemary Chukwuma Lead Nigeria's 45-Strong Contingent to African Athletics Championships in Ghana as AFN Eyes Overall Victory
World record holder Tobi Amusan headlines Nigeria's 45-athlete contingent to the 2026 CAA Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has unveiled a formidable 45-athlete squad for the 2026 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Senior Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana, with world record holder Tobi Amusan, sprint sensation Rosemary Chukwuma, and explosive speedster Favour Ashe leading a carefully curated blend of established stars and emerging talents. The contingent — comprising 25 women and 20 men — will compete across track and field events at the University of Ghana Sports Complex from May 12 to 17, with AFN technical director Gabriel Okon making the federation's intentions clear: Nigeria are not travelling to Ghana merely to participate but to win overall.
"Our aim is not just exposing our young team but to win overall. Also, we want our athletes to set the tone with good performances for the Commonwealth Games, and most importantly, our men and women 4x400m who are yet to qualify for the World Championships have another chance to do so in Accra," Okon said ahead of the team's Friday training session, setting the stakes for what promises to be a pivotal five days in the career trajectories of dozens of Nigerian athletes. The championships come at a critical juncture, serving as both a continental medal hunt and a crucial testing ground ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this July.
Amusan Chases Fourth African Title
At the heart of Nigeria's campaign is Tobi Amusan, the world record holder in the women's 100m hurdles and Africa's most decorated female hurdler. Amusan will contest her signature event alongside Adaobi Tabugbo and Janet Sunday, forming a formidable trio in the hurdles. The 29-year-old is aiming for a fourth African title in the 100m hurdles, a feat that would further cement her status as the continent's undisputed queen of the sprint barriers.
Amusan's presence in Accra carries symbolic weight beyond the medals. The last time Nigeria competed at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon in 2024, Amusan was hampered by illness and unable to compete at full strength — a setback that, according to team officials, cost Nigeria a near-certain gold medal. This time, she arrives in Ghana fit, focused, and determined to make up for lost opportunities. Her confirmation for the championships earlier this month triggered a wave of excitement across the athletics community, with Ghanaian media describing the star power assembled for Accra 2026 as "among the strongest the championship has ever seen".
Rosemary Chukwuma Returns, Eyes Sprint Dominance
One of the most anticipated storylines of the championships is the return of Rosemary Chukwuma, who missed the recent World Relays in Gaborone but arrives in Accra as one of the fastest female sprinters on the circuit this season. Chukwuma will compete in the women's 100m and form the backbone of the 4x100m relay quartet alongside Miracle Ezechukwu, Maria Thompson-Omokwe, and Tejiri Ugoh.
Chukwuma's season has been building steadily. She clocked an impressive 10.98 seconds in the 100m, placing her among the fastest women in the world this year. That mark, combined with her experience as a Commonwealth Games medalist, makes her one of Nigeria's strongest gold-medal prospects on the track. Her partnership with Omokwe — who has also been in scintillating form — gives Nigeria genuine depth in the women's short sprints, an area where the country has historically dominated at African level.
Favour Ashe and the Men's Sprint Unit: A Point to Prove
On the men's side, all eyes will be on Favour Ashe, the former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, who leads a powerful 100m and 4x100m relay unit that includes 2020 Olympic finalist Enoch Adegoke, Usheoritse Itsekiri, and reigning National Sports Festival champion Chidera Ezeakor. The quartet is expected to be among the favourites in the sprint relay, given Nigeria's rich tradition in short-distance races at the African Championships.
Ashe's inclusion carries extra significance. The 24-year-old was recently named in Nigeria's World Relays squad despite his pending switch of allegiance to Qatar, a saga that has stirred considerable debate within Nigerian athletics circles. His presence in the Accra squad suggests that, for now, he remains committed to the Nigerian cause — but the backdrop adds a layer of intrigue to every race he runs. Adegoke, who has been in blistering form on the domestic circuit — posting 10.15 seconds to share the 100m title with Ezeakor at the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final in April — provides a reliable anchor. Together, the unit has the quality to challenge for gold in both the individual sprints and the relay.
The men's 200m team will feature Usheoritse Itsekiri alongside Badmus Gafari and James Taiwo Emmanuel, while the 400m and relay pool includes experienced campaigners Emmanuel Ojeli, Samson Nathaniel, and Chidi Okezie — the African Games champion whose consistency in the quarter-mile has been a steadying presence for Nigerian relay teams. Okezie anchored Nigeria's mixed 4x400m relay team to World Championships qualification at the World Relays in Botswana earlier this month, and he will be crucial to the country's hopes of securing the remaining relay tickets in Accra.
Notable Absentees: Brume and Onyekwere Miss Out
For all the star power in the squad, the absence of two of Nigeria's most decorated female field athletes has not gone unnoticed. Four-time African long jump champion Ese Brume — a Commonwealth champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and the dominant figure in African women's long jumping for the past decade — is not on the team sheet. Neither is former African discus champion Chioma Onyekwere, who has recently pivoted to weightlifting ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Brume's absence is particularly significant. The 30-year-old has won the African long jump title at three consecutive championships and holds a personal best of 7.17m. Her decision to sit out Accra 2026 — the reasons for which have not been publicly detailed — opens the door for Ruth Usoro, the Olympic finalist who has been steadily building form this season, to step into the void. Usoro recently leaped 6.65m at the Jarvis Scott Invitational and will carry Nigeria's long jump hopes alongside Favour Olise. Also missing from the women's throws is Onyekwere, a world championships finalist in 2022, whose focus has now shifted to weightlifting — leaving Obiageri Amaechi to lead the discus entry.
Veteran Presence: Okon-George and Enekwechi
Experience runs deep in the Nigerian squad, and few bring more of it than Patience Okon-George. The multiple-time Olympian and 400m specialist arrives in Accra on the back of a victory at the Continental Tour meeting in Abidjan, where she clocked a season's best of 51.34 seconds. Fresh from helping Nigeria secure World Championships qualification in the mixed 4x400m relay in Gaborone, Okon-George told journalists she is "going for the ultimate" in Accra and described the championships as a crucial step toward securing the women's 4x400m qualification for the World Championships in Beijing.
On the men's side, shot put powerhouse Chukwuebuka Enekwechi — Africa's leading thrower and a three-time African champion — will spearhead Nigeria's field event campaign. Enekwechi has been in commanding form this season, opening his campaign with a 20.82m throw at the Orlen Cup in Poland and following it up with a 21.17m winning mark at the Simbine Classic in South Africa. He is pursuing a fourth continental title in his event, and his rivalry with the continent's best throwers — including South Africa's Zane Weir — will be one of the marquee field-event battles of the championships.
Jami Schlueter: The Nigerian Debut Everyone Is Waiting For
Perhaps no selection has generated more curiosity than that of Jami Schlueter, the multi-event athlete who switched allegiance from Great Britain to Nigeria earlier this year and will make his championship debut in the green and white in Accra. The 23-year-old decathlete, born to a German father and Nigerian mother, has swiftly rewritten the national record books since declaring for Nigeria. On February 22, 2026, he set a new Nigerian indoor heptathlon record at the US Combined Events Championships in Indianapolis, scoring 5,871 points to move to second on the African all-time list. In April, he shattered the national decathlon record with a total of 7,681 points at the Mt SAC Relays in California — a mark that surpassed Peter Moreno's 2017 record of 7,252 points and, crucially, would have been enough to win gold at both the last African Championships and the last African Games.
Schlueter's decathlon performance was built on consistency across all ten disciplines: a 10.78-second 100m, a 7.01m long jump, a 14.30m shot put, a 2.02m high jump, a 49.35-second 400m on day one, followed by a personal best of 14.01 seconds in the 110m hurdles, a 40.36m discus throw, a 4.40m pole vault, a 45.30m javelin throw, and a 4:45.54 1500m to close. "Schlueter's participation not only strengthens Nigeria's podium prospects in the combined events but also provides valuable preparation for the Commonwealth Games in July," the AFN noted. His debut is being watched keenly by athletics observers who see him as a potential medalist not just in Accra but in Glasgow and beyond.
The Full Team and Nigeria's Medal Prospects
The women's squad extends far beyond the headline names. In the 400m and relays, veteran Patience Okon-George is joined by Treasure Okereke, Siviana Ossai, Esther Okon, and Peter Jimoh Toheebat. The middle-distance events feature Comfort Anietie James in the 800m and Aderonke Akanbi in the 1500m and steeplechase. In the field, Clergy Edet and Treasure Omosivwe will contest the high jump, Victoria Kparika the javelin, while Divine Oladipupo and Jessica Oji represent Nigeria in the shot put, with Obiageri Ameachi in the discus and Oyesade Olatoye in the hammer throw.
The men's field contingent features long jumper Romeo Bernard, shot putters Chukwuebuka Enekwechi and Emmanuel Audu, and javelin thrower Adams Samuel Kure. The 110m hurdles will see Nnamdi Onwaeze, while James Gyang represents Nigeria in the 1500m and 5000m.
Nigeria enter the championships aiming to improve on their third-place finish at the 2024 edition in Douala, Cameroon, where they collected five gold, six silver, and four bronze medals — finishing behind South Africa and Kenya on the overall table. The Nigerian camp left Douala believing the margin could have been far greater. Endurance Ojokolo, a former African sprint champion and member of the technical crew, estimated that the team lost four potential gold medals in Douala due to illness, withdrawals, and administrative setbacks. With a full-strength squad, a clean bill of health, and burgeoning talent across multiple disciplines, the AFN believes this is the year Nigeria reclaims its place at the summit of African athletics.
A Defining Week for Nigerian Athletics
The 45 athletes heading to Accra carry more than personal ambitions. They represent a federation that is openly chasing overall victory, a nation that expects to dominate African track and field, and a sporting public hungry for heroes ahead of the Commonwealth Games. From Amusan's quest for a fourth African title to Schlueter's Nigerian debut, from Chukwuma's return to Ashe's point to prove, the storylines are rich and the stakes are high. When the action begins on Monday at the University of Ghana Sports Complex, Nigeria will be watching — and expecting nothing less than a medal harvest that restores the country to the top of the continental podium.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for continuing coverage of Team Nigeria at the 2026 CAA Senior Athletics Championships, daily medal updates from Accra, and the performances that will shape the road to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
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