Gadzama Salutes Team Nigeria Track And Field Team For Keeping The African Games Flag Flying
Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, first Vice President, Tafida Gadzama says Team Nigeria track and field athletes to the 13th African Games have kept the
flag flying high as far as Nigeria’s participation at the Games is concerned.
Gadzama, a gold medal winner at the seventh edition of the games in 1999 commended the athletes for putting in the efforts to ensure they topped the
athletics medal table at the Games for the 11th time in 13 editions.
‘This may not be our best performance in terms of number of gold medals won or total medals hauled but this one is inspiring considering the way the athletes
have been treated in the last year,’ said Gadzama who insists he is commending the athletes as an Olympic and African Games gold medalist and not as the
first Vice President of the AFN.’
‘I am speaking as a former athlete who had been in the shoes of the athletes and thus know where it pinches. I want to thank the individuals/organisations
who provided the needed competitions to keep the athletes in shape for the games,’ added Gadzama who also won the African U20 gold medal in 1997.
Gadzama who is the chairman of Borno State Athletics Association believes the future is bright for Nigeria following the unearthing of a few young athletes
who have shown the potentials to be great.
‘I know we can reach the height we reached at the Games in 1991 when we won 38 medals or in 1995 when 15 of the 32 medals we won at the Games were gold. All we need is to introduce professionalism into the administration of the sport and a little more technical know-how.’
He also commended the Federal Ministry of Sports Development for providing the environment for the athletes to excel.
Gadzama has thus called on John Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development to expedite action on reforming the sports sector so that our Sports Federations can
be run professionally and wield out individuals with corrupt tendencies from getting inside the engine room of the Sports Ministry which the Sports
Federations represent.
