The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Wednesday said it was just a matter of time before Nigeria returned to its rightful place among the best in sports.
Dalung told newsmen in Abuja he was confident that Nigeria would soon be reaping the benefits of recent reforms in the national sports federations.
“The current outstanding performances by Nigerian teams in various events point to the fact that the reforms are yielding good results,’’ he said.
Reflecting on Nigerian athletes’ performance at the 2017 World Athletics Championships held in London from Aug. 4 to Aug. 13, Dalung said it was not a disappointment.
He said this was because most of the athletes who represented the country were trained at home.
“And, for most of them, they were there in London on their first outing.
“We all know that to produce a medal material, you need not less than six to eight year of intense training. And, if you are lucky, after the first four years you can get a bronze medal.
“The athletes we took to London are our new prospects in athletics, and we have already sent signals that Nigeria is coming up,’’ the Youth and Sports Minister said.