AFN VP hails rising talents as Nigeria shines at Islamic Solidarity Games

The second vice president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Aku Aghazu, has commended Nigerian track and field athletes for their outstanding performance at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.

Nigeria won a total of seven medals in track and field, including a gold in a fiercely contested women’s 4x100m relay, three silver medals, and three bronze medals.

Aghazu assured that the future of athletics in Nigeria is bright, citing the quality of homegrown talent emerging across the country. She described the athletes’ performance in Riyadh as a testament to this rising potential.

“I am so proud of our athletes here in Riyadh. What is particularly pleasing is that most of these athletes are youth, not the most experienced, yet the bravery with which they approached each event was remarkable. I was blown away by the quartet of the 4x100m girls, and Patience Okon George also represented Nigeria well with her come-from-behind silver in the 400m,” she said.

“Our 4x100m men also held their own with great zeal and patriotism, securing the bronze in a tightly contested field,” Aghazu added.

She noted that the revamped AFN under President Tonobok Okowa, with collaborative efforts from the National Sports Commission (NSC), has begun implementing strategic plans to improve the country’s athletics fortunes. The results in Riyadh, she said, are a reflection of those efforts.

Aghazu also praised the NSC, chaired by Mallam Shehu Dikko and led by Director-General Hon Bukola Olopade, for innovative initiatives contributing to the success currently witnessed in Nigerian sports. “Many of the athletes winning medals in Riyadh were discovered through the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative introduced at the recent National Sports Festival,” she said.

Looking ahead, she emphasized that Nigeria’s next big focus is the Commonwealth Games. “Judging from the outstanding showing in Riyadh, I believe our athletes will positively amaze the nation in Glasgow,” she concluded.