NAN-S-4
Darts
By Victor Okoye
Abuja, Aug. 2, 2017 (NAN) Hassan Haruna, the President of the Nigeria Darts Federation (NDF), on Wednesday said his goal was to take the sport to the grassroots and make it popular all over the country.
Haruna, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Abuja, said that darts was gradually becoming popular in Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world.
He said his immediate priority was to ensure that all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital territory (FCT) participate in the Darts competition at the next National Sports Festival.
“Let me quickly remind you that the game has been part of the National Sports Festival for four consecutive times now.
“In the last festival, no less than 17 states participated in the darts competition. So, you can see that the sport is gradually becoming popular.
“So this time around, we are confident and will work very hard to ensure that the 36 states of the federation as well as the FCT take part in the next festival,” he said.
NAN reports that the National Sports Festival, the country’s biennial multi-sports competition organised by the Federal Government, is expected to take place later this year.
The festival was billed to take place in Calabar in 2014 but has suffered several postponements.
It is supported by the National Sports Commission for athletes from the 36 states.
The NDF president explained that he and his new executive would map out strategies to strengthen the game in the country and pledged to assist the athletes to excel in their career.
Haruna called on wealthy individuals and corporate bodies to contribute their quota to the development of sports through sponsorship of championships, adding that the government alone could not shoulder the responsibility.
He promised to use his experience to attract competitions and sponsors for the game, both at the state and national levels. (NAN)
VO/MO/DUA
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(Edited by Morayo Omolade/Dada Ahmed)