<\/p>\n
Apo Progressive Foundation (APF), a non-governmental organisation has concluded arrangements to host the second edition of its 21-kilometer \u201cPeace and Unity\u201d Marathon Race on June 12.<\/p>\n
Mr Faleye Adebowale, Chairman of the foundation, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The event, scheduled to coincide with the 2026 Democracy Day celebrations, is aimed at promoting grassroots sports, engaging talented youths, and supporting security agencies in the fight against insecurity.<\/p>\n
Adebowale stated that the theme of this year\u2019s edition, \u201cLet\u2019s Defeat Insecurity,\u201d was deliberately chosen to encourage citizens to partner with security agencies through actionable intelligence and community solidarity.<\/p>\n
\u201dSports is a powerful unifying factor that transcends religious, tribal, and regional differences. By bringing youths from diverse backgrounds together, we are creating an avenue for unity.<\/p>\n
\u201dThrough this interaction, we can advocate for peace and encourage our people to support security agencies with necessary information to battle crime in our communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said the event was open to both male and female runners nationwide, with participants expected from states such as Plateau, Kwara, Kaduna, Niger, and Lagos.<\/p>\n
Adebowale explained that it replicated the cross-country attendance recorded during the maiden edition.<\/p>\n
According to the chairman, the race will strictly feature adult runners from the age of 18.<\/p>\n
He outlined the designated 21km route to include the take-off point at the Apo Community Stadium, through NEPA Junction to Games Village Roundabout, connecting Galadima Roundabout down to Kabusa Junction, and terminating at the Apo Community Stadium.<\/p>\n
Adebowale, however, lamented the lack of corporate sponsorship for the event, revealing that the cash prizes and logistics were being funded through the collective personal resources of the foundation\u2019s members.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe do not have any sponsors for now. Everything you see, including the advertisements and the cash prizes for the athletes, is from individual contributions of our members.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe are heavily open to sponsorship and partnership from well-meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies because this project benefits the entire Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the nation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, the Secretary of the foundation, Mr Victor Chollom, stated that APF had officially written to various security agencies, to provide lectures and security tips for the participants.<\/p>\n
These, he said, included the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC),<\/p>\n
Chollom linked the prevailing economic hardship in the country to rural insecurity, which he said had prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands.<\/p>\n
\u201dPart of the reason there is economic hardship is that insecurity in rural areas won\u2019t allow parents to go to the farm, leading to food scarcity in the markets.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe are using this platform to advocate for the government to hasten interventions like the forest guards so farmers can safely return to their farmlands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also catching these young ones early through sports and educational scholarships to ensure they grow with a mindset of peace,\u201d Chollom said.<\/p>\n
On his part, the Foundation\u2019s Public Relations Officer, Mr Husain Yahaya, expressed worry over the high number of unengaged, talented youths roaming the streets.<\/p>\n
He said that the marathon was designed to take them off the streets and expose them to global sports opportunities.<\/p>\n
Yahaya said the foundation had embarked on aggressive roadshows, radio announcements, and school visitations to ensure grassroots athletes without regular platforms are given an opportunity to showcase their skills.<\/p>\n
Cash prizes will be awarded to winners in both the male and female categories.<\/p>\n
The first position winners will smile home with N350,000 each, while the second, third, fourth, and fifth-position runners will receive N250,000, N200,000, N150,000, and N100,000 respectively.(NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Apo Progressive Foundation (APF), a non-governmental organisation has concluded arrangements to host the second edition of its 21-kilometer \u201cPeace and Unity\u201d Marathon Race on June 12. Mr Faleye Adebowale, Chairman of the foundation, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday. The event, scheduled to coincide with the 2026 Democracy Day celebrations, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":83288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83287"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83289,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83287\/revisions\/83289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}