The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has called for greater investment in grassroots athletics development, with vice president Akuchukwu Aghazu urging state governments to organise more regular competitions to nurture emerging talent across the country, Sunday reports.
Aghazu said sustained local meets would provide athletes with the consistent competitive environment needed to improve performances and progress to the elite level, stressing that Nigeria’s long-term success in track and field depends on strong domestic structures.
She noted that regular state-level competitions would allow athletes to sharpen their abilities in sprints, jumps and throws, while also expanding the pool of talent available for national selection.
“If at least each state of the Federation stages a big meet each year, the home-based athletes will have enough opportunities to improve on their timings and jumps, including throws,” she told AFN Media.
Aghazu added that such initiatives would not place an excessive financial burden on state authorities or the Federal Capital Territory, arguing that the system was achievable with proper planning and coordination.
“This will not be too difficult for each of the 36 states and the FCT to achieve,” she explained.
She further stressed the importance of collaboration with the private sector, saying corporate organisations remained willing to support sports development if effectively engaged.
“The corporate bodies are willing to put their hands on the plough into sports and fund it well,” she said.
Her remarks come as Nigerian athletics continues to lean on a blend of home-based and overseas-based athletes, with officials increasingly focused on strengthening the domestic pipeline to sustain international competitiveness.
Aghazu said the team’s performance at the World Relays in Botswana, driven largely by home-based athletes, represented a significant milestone for Nigerian athletics, as the country secured qualification slots for major global competitions.
“Team Nigeria’s impressive performance at the World Relays Championships in Gaborone is credited not only to the athletes on the track but also to the strong administrative and motivational support behind the scenes,” she added.
She added that the youthful squad delivered beyond expectations, insisting that their achievements met every standard of success.
“The outing of the youthful Team Nigeria dominated by home-based athletes was a huge, huge success story by every indication and benchmark,” she stated.