The AFN issued an apology during last year’s Olympics in Tokyo after 10 Nigerian athletes were declared ineligible to compete after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ruled that they were not tested rigorously enough in the run-up to the Games.

Nigeria is deemed to be in a Category A nation by the AIU, meaning it is seen as more susceptible to doping and must meet extra requirements to be able to select an athlete for major competitions.

The 10 athletes that made up 40 per cent of Nigeria’s track and field team were excluded from Tokyo 2020 on the basis of Rule 15 of the National Federation Anti-Doping Obligations.

The regulations state that in the 10 months before a major event, any athlete from a Category A country needs to face at least three no-notice, out-of-competition doping tests, which must be conducted at least three weeks apart.

The World Athletics Championships is scheduled to be held in Oregon in the United States from July 15 to 24 before athletes head to the Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham is set to stage the Games from July 28 and August 8 and Okowa told Nigerian newspaper Punch the work going on at the AFN to make sure they will not suffer further disqualification due to a lack of testing.

"Right now we are going to concentrate on and make sure that all our athletes, especially the major ones, have complied with all their out-of-competition doing tests," said Okowa.

"We remember what happened at the Olympics where some of our athletes went and were not allowed to compete because some of them did not complete their out-of-competition tests.

"It is sometimes difficult to hold on to these athletes to comply but at the end of the day when we experience the trouble, the entire country holds the AFN.

"All we are trying to do is to make sure we put the athletes under pressure to comply so that there will be no mishap in the future.

"Right now Nigeria is in category A, which is not so good for us, but we are fighting to get out of that category."

Last year, the AFN set up a medical and anti-doping commission with the aim of ensuring "appropriate measures will always be taken at all times".

Nigeria has participated at 14 Commonwealth Games since making its debut at Auckland 1950.

The nation has achieved 236 medals including 70 golds, 75 silvers and 91 bronzes.

At Gold Coast, Nigeria won nine gold, nine silver and six bronze medals with Suwaibidu Galadima winning the only title on the athletics track with 100 metres T47 gold.