Nigeria Hosts Africa Running Conference, But Where Is the Roadmap for Local Athletes?

Nigeria is set to host the inaugural Africa Running Conference in early 2026, following a press briefing held Tuesday in Abuja.

The event, which is expected to bring together stakeholders from across the continent, aims to explore the future of road running in Africa. However, the announcement has drawn sharp criticism from athletics observers and grassroots advocates who argue that the country is putting the cart before the horse.

Despite the fanfare surrounding the upcoming conference, Nigeria has no elite male or female athletes competing at the highest level in global road running events such as the 10K, half marathon, or marathon.

Critics say this is not due to a lack of talent, but rather a complete absence of structure, investment, and vision for distance running in the country.

At the center of the criticism is National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko, who once again spoke glowingly at the press conference about the Commission’s plans for distance running.

However, for over eight months, Dikko has made similar promises without unveiling any concrete strategy. Observers argue that if the NSC were serious about developing long distance talent, it would have already launched a national cross country programme, especially now, when serious athletics nations are deep into their cross country season, using it as a foundation to build middle and long distance runners.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has also come under fire for its longstanding neglect of distance running.

The federation has consistently sidelined the discipline in its programming, showing little to no interest in developing it. At the National Sports Festival, for instance, many distance events are restricted to just one athlete per state, including the marathon, an event where crowd participation and depth of field are essential to its appeal and competitiveness.

Critics argue that hosting a road running conference in a country where the sport lacks even a basic foundation is akin to pouring water into a wicker fish trap—wasteful and unsustainable.

They insist that for the conference to have any meaningful impact, it must be backed by a deliberate and transparent development plan that includes grassroots engagement, athlete support, and infrastructure investment.

Beyond sport, the potential of distance running to transform lives and communities is immense. If Nigeria can produce athletes who qualify for the World Athletics elite category, they would gain access to international road races with substantial prize money.

These earnings could be brought home to support families, create jobs, and lift entire communities out of poverty. In regions plagued by insecurity, particularly in the North, structured running programmes could offer young people a viable alternative to crime, insurgency, and idleness.

For this vision to become reality, the NSC and AFN must move beyond wishful thinking and begin laying the groundwork. Hosting a conference without a domestic roadmap is not leadership, it’s performance. The time for talk is over. What Nigeria needs now is action.