President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to flag-off the second edition of the National Anti-Corruption Marathon race tagged ‘Abuja 2019’. The race which kicks off on December 9 is to commemorate this year’s United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day.
According to the National Coordinator of the event, Mr Jacob Onu, over 4,000 participants would feature in the event and the total distance of the race is 21.03km (approximately a half marathon), covering a total area of 23.04km with the Eagles Square as the starting point.
“The fight against corruption is not a one-off battle, rather a continuous one that requires perseverance and endurance; this is the reason behind the initiative.
“The marathon is symbolic in that without perseverance and endurance one can’t start and finish a marathon race. This initiative happens to be the first globally.
“Just as President Buhari was vocal when he said that ‘if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill us’, ours is to create more and more awareness on the dangers of corruption to the existence of our citizens, especially the youth.
“It is our desire that it is sustained over time and improved on in subsequent editions. It is also expected to be a platform to encourage and empower participating athletes.
“Athletes will run through the marathon route and finish at the Eagles Square. This makes the start and finish points the same,” Mr Onu said.
Onu explained that participants were expected to go home with cash prizes ranging from N20,000 to N1 million, and participants would have their name enshrined as vanguards in the fight against corruption through the awareness the marathon would create.
