6 days ago
16
BY MUDASHIRU SHITTU
Before Access Bank Lagos City Marathon started 10 years ago on February 6, 2016, the last time there was an international Marathon in Nigeria was probably in 1994 at the Milo International Marathon in Lagos where there was a catastrophe between Nigerian runner, Gideon Hagack from the Plateau State, and the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, an incident Sydney Olympics Gold medallist, Enefiok Udo-Obong wrote a book about.
Other stakeholders during that period like former technical subcommittee Chairman of AFN, Rotimi Obajimi, meanwhile, have denied the report of the Olympian and have given a different version of the October 9, 1994 incidents.
Afterwards, there was a long dark cloud over Marathon and distance races in Nigeria for more than ten years that apart from Abass Mohammed, Nigeria’s marathon record holder, only two in twenty Nigerian journalists can name two Nigerian marathon and long-distance runners, apart from Gideon Hagack, who majority just found about in this article.
But now, we can mention Emmanuel Gyan, Adamu Shehu Mazu, Sharabutu Philips, Abdulhakeem Tunis, Adepegba Lateef, Gyang Boyi – who was the first Nigerian to cross the finish line at the 2025 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon with his brother, Solomon Boyi, who became the second Nigerian to emerge victorious and a whole lot of others that time will not permit to mention.
In the female category, we have Fadekemi Olude, Deborah Pam, the wife of Emmanuel Gyan, Elizabeth Nuhu, Dimatu Yohana and many more.
At the 2020 Edition of the event, Emmanuel Gyan and his wife Deborah Pam, were the first Nigerians to cross the finish line in both the male and female categories.
Between 1994 and the year Nilayo Sports Management took the dream of an international Marathon in Lagos to the former governor of the State, Akinwummi Ambode, only a handful of sports journalists have reports, interviews, videos, stories on international marathons.
I don’t know of any who has travelled to Boston, New York to cover the marathon with evidence of reports or to Comrades Marathon in South Africa, Standard Chartered Marathon in Nairobi and many such like.
But today, I categorically say that the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon has given me and ninety percent of my colleagues a great opportunity of the big picture of what an international Marathon should be right in our backyard.
Since 2016, I don’t know of any sporting events apart from the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, both local, national or international that took place for ten years nonstop, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the race still held.
In terms of the biggest prize money in the history of Nigeria Sports since independence, No sports in Nigeria either by money spent on preparation or monies given to participants can come close to the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
So the award for the best sporting event and the most developing sports that has had the most impact on Nigerians in the last decade is the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
In summary, in a country where sports ministers, presidents of sports federations and bigwigs in the sporting industry lament the lack of sponsorships in the country and I consider the number of top international brands that have identified with the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, it’s sufficient to write that sports will grow and developed more in Nigeria with the private sector actively participating.
Mudashiru Shittu is a Lagos-based journalist
English (US) ·