AAC Honorary Vice-President passes away at 77

It was with great sadness that the IAAF received the news from the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) that Alhaji Abdul Karim Amu, one of the five Honorary Vice-Presidents of the African Athletics Confederation (AAC) had died on the evening of Monday 8 February, aged 77 years.

AFN President, Solomon Ogba, described the late Amu, a former President of the IAAF Member Federation as one of the pillars of Nigerian athletics. "We received with deep shock the news of Amu's death. We in the new board had looked forward to tapping from his wealth of experience.”
 
Ogba also assured track and field aficionados in the country that Amu's contribution to the sport would not go unheralded, saying: "At our next board meeting, we are going to look at how to immortalise the late President with a worthy competition."

Sunday Bada, the Sydney Olympics 4x400 metres relay gold medallist, who is currently Technical Director of the AFN, described Amu as "a great athlete and administrator," adding, "Amu will go down in history as one of those who took Nigeria's athletics to Olympic height. I am one of the athletes whose career peaked to the glory of God during his time and can hardly forget him."

Alhaji Abdul Karim Amu was buried in Atan Cemetery, Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday 9 February.

IAAF