The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has unveiled its new logo. Mr of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung presided over the unveiling ceremony on Thursday at the opening of the Annual General Congress of the AFN at the Nicon Luxury Hotel Abuja.
The logo replaces the old one that had been in use since 1944.
On the occasion, Dalung urged the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria to set aside their differences and go back to the development of the sport at the grassroots.
In his remarks, Dalung noted that the board of the AFN had the highest number of highly qualified and most tested personalities and and as such expected nothing short of qualitative leadership.
“What is needed of you today is for you to bring qualitative leadership to drive the passion of athletics to great heights.
“If we provide the desired leadership, other African countries will queue behind Nigeria and we will be able to shape the destiny of Africa. If we organize ourselves, Nigeria will be the economy hub of the entire West African sub region.”
He appealed to the board members to respect one another to bring about the desired change in athletics.
“Respect and value yourselves including the past and present leaders because a system that does not recognize history cannot secure the future. You must create space in your leadership to accommodate people of diverse opinions.
Dalung also advised the board to begin a massive talent hunt in the rural areas and embark on training for such talents and also engage the private sector for support.
Earlier, the President of the AFN Hon Shehu Ibrahim Gusau said that the congress which was the first in many years was convened to provide the framework for the Federation’s operation and and future.
Hon Gusau said that following consultations in the last three months, the Federation has developed its constitution and will be tabled for amendments and ratification.
He also spoke on efforts to rebrand and reposition the AFN as a global competitive brand.
“I welcome you to a brand new world of athletics in Nigeria propelled by people, passion and performance.
I promised that we shall reconstruct the sport with six national Athletics Development Centres. We hope to lay the process for the Middle and Long Distance project in Jos Plateau State while each region of the nation shall have same center. It is our ambition to create job opportunities for our coaches and train 240 new coaches in the next 18months to meet the requirements of these centres.”
The plan to build an athletics resort was also unveiled while the President also announced that every personnel in the Federation will be insured from the new season and a reliable data base with biometric capability put in place.
In attendance were all the board members including three former Directors-General Dr Amos Adamu, Dr Patrick Ekeji, Gbenga Elegbeleye and the President, Nigeria Olympic Committee Habu Gumel.
