Mobil Track and Field: Not yet over

Amidst speculations that the Mobil Track and Field Championship would be scrapped, there are strong indications that the management of the sponsoring firm, board members and top functionaries of the Sports ministry would brainstorm on how to sustain the meet that has over the years been serving as a selection trial of Nigerian athletes to major international engagements.

The rumours on Mobil’s withdrawal has however necessitated series of meetings between the management of Mobil and top government functionaries on the one hand and between the Athletic Federation of Nigeria board members and Mobil, as well as a joint meeting involving all the stakeholders.

The Executive Director, Exxon Mobil, Udom Inoyo indicated in Abuja on Saturday soon after this year’s edition of the prestigious meet at the Abuja National Stadium that another meeting has been scheduled with the Sports Minister, Colonel Musa Muhammed (rtd) in the next two weeks on how best the championship would be sustained.

The sustaining of the championship, which in the recent past has been a beehive of activities, Inoyo said would focus on grass roots development.

Inoyo was however dead pan when he told nigeriasports.com that “Its nice for everybody to come to a beautiful stadium like the Abuja National Stadium and watch the stars on parade and go back. But who are those athletes that will replace the Mary Onyalis?” he asked.

Inoyo, who was a footballer that never spotted either the State or national jersey in his hey days, said there is the need to go back to the local areas, communities and the grassroots for talent haunts.

“Every body has abandoned the grassroots. If people don’t go back to Secondary Schools and begin to encourage those young boys and girls, if you don’t take the Nigeria University Games championship seriously, where are we going to produce future champions”?, he also asked.

He stated that Mobil has since three years back embarked on athletes developmental programme in various communities.

“We have done it simultaneously with the Mobil Track and Field Championship. So, its not a question of Mobil is abandoning Track and Field Championship. No.

What we are saying is that we want to re-focus on grassroots development and we have made very commendable progress”, he said.

Report by Fidelis Ebu