From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Following Bayelsa’s emergence as champions of the first ever Niger Delta Sports Festival in Uyo, the Athletics Federation Nigeria (AFN) has congratulated the state for its sudden dominance in athletics, which was instrumental to their success at the festival.
The President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, (AFN), Chief Tonobok Okowa, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the Extraordinary Congress held in Yenagoa over the weekend urged the state to sustain their recent feat in athletics, assuring that the federation will now beam its searchlight on the state for rising talents that will make the country proud at subsequent events.
Chief Okowa who also commended the initiative of the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to build a new modern stadium, assured that the federation is working towards becoming the first to attract a major championship to the state when the stadium is completed.
“We have promised the Governor that when the stadium is ready we will be coming here and I pray that athletics will be the first to use that stadium, by the Grace of God, and I can tell you that anytime there is any athlete we feel is good to be discovered, we will pick up that athlete, just as we are happy with one of your daughters in our school, who is still making wave this year, that is Tima God bless, so same thing we will do when we see more “
Speaking on the resolution of the congress, Okowa noted that an elective committee has been set up to plan and conduct the next elective congress billed for next month.
“We deliberated on a lot of matters, which of course you know that our electoral congress is already around the corner, so we looked into some grey areas in our constitution that will help fine-tune our electoral guidelines.”
“We talked about the electoral committee, which of course we appointed a seven-man committee and the secretary. This committee will organize the elections, and they will follow the guidelines as stipulated by the constitution.”
“We also picked up dates; the zonal elections will come up between the 14th and 16th of May, and that of the President, the first and second Vice President will come up on May 31.”