The newly sworn-in First Vice President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Abubakar Ladan Zurmi, has vowed to focus on discovering athletic talents at the grassroots level.
Zurmi made this commitment known during a press conference in Gusau, Zamfara State capital.
The new AFN leadership planed to organise competitions to identify and nurture young athletes from primary and secondary schools nationwide.
Zurmi emphasised the importance of talent sourcing, stating that it would start from the grassroots level, including local governments and communities.
According to him, “We will engage in talent sourcing. This talent sourcing will start from the grassroots, from primary school, secondary school and the people in the communities whereby we go round local governments, sourcing talents.
”We will bring these children together, we will organise competitions whereby our children will be more responsible,” he added.
He expressed concern about the current state of athletics in the North-West region, which he represents, and assured that the new leadership would revive sports development in the zone. Zurmi’s vision includes:
”My coming on board, we will ensure the zone (Northwest) where I represent, to revive all sporting activities, not only athletics, but all sporting activities.
”We will ensure we develop talent and bring unity in sporting activities and we will also look for sponsors and cooperation of our various state governments for the development of sports in the zone, ” he said.
Zurmi called for unity among AFN members and stakeholders to collectively drive the growth and progress of athletics in Nigeria.
