I will take badminton to the grassroots, says Prof Faruk

The Provost of Niger State College of Education, Professor Faruk Rashid Haruna has formerly declared his intention to vie for the Presidency of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) with a promise to develop the game at all levels in the country, including schools, colleges and universities.

Faruk, who made the declaration in Minna yesterday, said that his desire to run for the Presidency of the Federation was borne out of his love and passion for the game which he has played and coached for over four decades.

According to Faruk, who is the longest serving director of sports at the Amhudu University Bello (ABU) Zaria, “as a former national player, a coach and sports administrator with a wider reach to national and international arena, I believed that I can bring the desire changes required to move the game of Badminton to the next level in Nigeria”.

Faruk, a former member of the BFN, pointed out that if given the mandate, he would encourage mass participation through community efforts, identify, select and develop talents by establishing norms and identify high performing athletes and establish high performance centers across the country.

He stated further that one of the main problems that have been affecting the efforts of Nigeria to achieve greater success in the game of badminton is not lack of efforts but “the systematic direction of it towards realising excellence in the game”.

To achieve this therefore, Faruk believes that it will require a very competent and seasoned sports administrator who will combine technical and scientific knowledge in talents identification, adding that “I believed I have what it takes to provide such leadership”.