The president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Solomon Ogba, has charged the leadership of the National Assembly to pay more attention to the development of sports, owing to its potential to improve the image of the country.
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Ogba, who stated this during a press conference to unveil AFN program and events for 2012, insisted that if emphasis is placed on sports, the lost glory and respect which the country earned from other countries in the past would be restored.
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The AFN boss wants special attention to be paid on track and field events because that is an aspect where the country has made its mark in the past, stressing that the performance of a single athlete can put the country’s name back on the top. “If we believe that sports is what unites and binds us together, then we should do a lot to improve the sector.
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“The National Assembly should increase the budgetary allocation to sports. What they are giving to the sectors at moment is peanuts compared to what is given to other sector of the economy. It is only in sports you can see a Muslim join his Christian brother to sing a song without minding his or her religious affiliation. It is only in sports you see a Hausa man from the North dance and sing with a Yoruba man or Ijaw from the South without minding their background or tribal differences. If the government knows all this, how come they are playing with such critical sector of the society?.
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“Sports have what it takes to bring Nigeria’s name back on top. A single athlete can write Nigeria’s name in gold. So, government should put more money in sports and should be ready to ask questions on the money it spends,” he stated.
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According to him, it is time we regain our lost glory in sports and the only way to achieve this is through hard work, because champions and world class teams are not created over night’ explaining that it requires a lot of resources and application of resources.
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He expressed AFN’s commitment and determination to bring back Nigeria’s lost glory