In the 1950s, Violet and her sister Juliet ran for the Ladies Sports Club. In 1958, she represented Nigeria at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. Her progressive performance at the event earned her a 'Sports Woman of the Year' award. After the games, she continued with her studies taking courses on secretarial studies. In 1963, she went back to athletics and represented Nigeria at the first All-African Games in the 80m hurdle.