High Altitude Athletics club coach, Stephen Nuhu says long distance runners in Nigeria will forever be grateful to Sports Minister Sunday Dare, for giving them the attention they have long craved. Nuhu is preparing his athletes for the first National Cross Country race to be held Saturday in Jos, the capital of Plateau state. He said that it was a delight to see Chief Dare making efforts to put Nigeria on the map of long distance running. “I am grateful to the Sports Minister for giving us the attention we are getting now,” said Nuhu. “ He is the first Sports Minister in almost forty years who has made that conscious effort to see to the development of distance running in Nigeria. I remember we had a camp for some selected distance runners last year here in Jos and chief Dare has demonstrated it is not a one-off with the staging of the Cross Country race this weekend also in Jos,’ said Nuhu The High Altitude Athletics club coach is the most recognised trainer of distance runners in Nigeria and believes cross country running will help in the development of the athletes physical and mental strength. Nuhu is also grateful to the race coordinator, coach Tony Osheku who he says has been relentless in his fight to see that distance runners are accorded a pride of place in Nigerian athletics.’ His (Osheku’s) passion for distance running is infectious and I am glad we have a man like that who is championing our cause,’ he said.
Meanwhile, chief Osheku says all arrangements are in place for a successful event on Saturday. “The course has been measured and I want to believe we will have a real cross country race on Saturday. This is the start of that great journey we are making to make our distance runners achieve that world class standard that will make them competitive in local, continental and international road race championships and Games. ‘This great start will not have been possible without the help of the Sports Minister who insists the event must hold to kick-start the rebirth of distance running in Nigeria. He sees a lot of prospects in the athletes and believes they can earn big money running in the circuit to become poverty alleviers and invariably contribute to Nigeria’s gross domestic product like the east Africans are doing.”
