By: Douglas Ogbankwa
The Nigerian Bureaucracy sulks.There is hardly any thing done for national interest.Every file or every assignment is an opportunity to make money or advance a personal interest.
The Nigerian Sports bureaucracy is worse. Hijacked by a cabal, they have held Nigerian Sports in the jugular for decades. No matter how powerful a Minister of Sports is, they can frustrate him and leave him in the lurch.
Take the case of Blessing Ofili, the Olympic 200 Metres Athletics Finalist. She was not registered for Female 100 Metres Athletics Event , because the list sent by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria was tampered with by the egg heads of the Nigeria Olympic Committee. This denied Nigeria its most potent force in the event and those who represented us fluttered .
The very enterprising lady went on to compete in the 200 metres.You could see that she was better at the 100 Metres she was denied and this accounted for her crying profusely at her predicament, when she came 6th at the finals of 200 Metres Event.
A Country so blessed with Sports talents, but stunted by greedy officials.You could see Nigerians competing for other countries and winning medals.To get into any Nigerian Team,you must know some one.Talent does not matter.If you do not know any one,that has connections, you will die with your talent.
An Arise TV Correspondent at this Paris Olympics was visibly angry when he complained that a lot of Athletes in Paris, purportedly representing Nigeria are Sleeping in hotels or are in the Stands as spectators, because they are injured.The able bodied and fit athletes were left at home, because they are not well connected.
For the Nigerian Olympic Contingent, the event is more like a Jamboree.Tax Payers’ Money is used to ferry girl friends and relatives, to an event they have no business. The result is the shame we are having now.Even Burundi is on the Medals Table as we speak and we are not.
This is a country of some inept Sports Administrators, who know next to nothing about sports. They take Nigerian Sports like a part of our polity.The real Sports Administrators are frustrated out of the system.
It is in Nigeria that officials forgot jerseys meant for the National Team in Nigeria and travel for a sports event abroad.Hundreds of thousands of dollars got missing at the Glass House, housing the Nigerian Football Federation and no one was convicted .When same thing happened in Ghana ,the Minister of Sports who was in custody of the money went to jail .
A Promising Young Girl was given an opportunity to join a State Athletics Team in one of the States of Nigeria.The 18 Year Old had to run for her dear life as officials from the Male Administrators to Male Coaches wanted to sleep with her .She abandoned her burgeoning career, saying she would rather concentrate on her studies , than be a sex toy to randy old men.
We need to clean up our Sports System and bring in Sports Men to manage it , as it is done all around the world. Enough of charlatans running our Sports.
Elections into Sports Federations is like initiation into secret cults .They organise it in a very secretive manner and run it in the same way .8 Billion Naira is the sum invested in our Olympics Campaign in Paris and as we speak not a single medal to show as at 7th August, 2024.
The Nigerian Contingent are like tourists . Preparation for Olympics is a four year cycle.As you get back from the last , you start preparing for the next.
But not for Nigeria.Our Preparations are very shambolic.
Some times , our Athletes use their money to go for international events .Once you are injured , your State of Origin is “OYO”-On Your Own and you will be forgotten.
No retirement plan for our Athletes and no Athletes Veterans Support System.No Sports Scholarships in our Universities, as it is done all around the world .
It is as we say *any where belle face*.Our successes are mostly based on luck and very passionate Athletes , who compete with all their hearts .We must wake up ,as we are currently not in the race.
We have great swimmers in the Riverine Areas , especially among the Ijaws of the Niger Delta .Long Distance Runners are in the Jos Area and places like Obudu.You can get gymnasts from the Igbanonimwin Group among the Esans of Edo State.It is called comparative advantage.
Let us retrace our steps .We are becoming a laughing stock of the International Community.
Writer can be reached on: douglasogbankwa@gmail.com
