There is something poetic about Nigeria’s participation in the Olympics in Athens, Greece. We often associate Greece with mythology. When Nigeria’s athletes were leaving for Greece, the nation was promised at least 10 gold medals. But as the games drew to a close, that promise became a myth! The promise (or pledge) of 10 gold medals was not out of character. It was typically Nigerian! It was not based on any empirical or prima facia evidence of solid preparation. As typically Nigerian, it was based on prophesy, miracle, loud and convulsive prayers, fasting, hallucination, forlorn hope, and mere conjectures!
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against those who believe in prayers, miracles and God’s wishes without working. Greece has shown the Achilles heels of hope without effort. Daily, in Athens, Nigeria crashed out of every event. The most gallant outing was by the female football team, the Super Falcons. At least they beat Japan; their first ever win in Olympics! They led Sweden one nil up to 17 minutes to the end of the match. But the Swedes overran them 2-1. Again, the Falcons led Germany by a gaol, only to be routed 2-1. That was the end of anything impressive about our Olympic outing in Athens. Our boxers fell like overripe mangoes. And that is a sport that usually gave us hope.
The next sport that would have given us a medal is weight lifting. Again, our athletes crumbled under the weights! Our female basketball team were playing netball for all you know! Where else were we to get medals since we did not go with our paralympians? Ah ha! Athletics! Nigeria’s name only showed on the board during the starting. But as soon as the guns went off, our athletes crashed out!
The best we did was to wish that Francis Obikwelu turned his silver medal over to Nigeria instead of his country Portugal! How indecent! Why do Nigerians always think that the rules must be bent for them? To have asked Obikwelu how he felt winning the medal for Portugal, instead of Nigeria, was rude, to say the least. I know it is always an emotional and controversial issue for a renowned athlete to adopt another country.
It happened when in 1996 Kenyan Wilson Kipteker assumed Danish citizenship. Controversy also dogged Gloria Alozie’s acceptance of Spanish citizenship. Even locally here, some of the athletes who win laurels for some states are not all indigenes of those states. So why all the cry about Obikwelu?
Our Greek misadventure should force us to re-examine our approach to a multi-billion industry—sports. We continue to treat sports as an unimportant part of our national life. In terms of our geo-political politics, sports ministry is regarded as a grade ‘‘C’’ ministry. Any geo-political zone whose son (never daughters) gets sports ministry grumbles about marginalisation. Very often the President helps perpetuate this myth by appointing a total stranger or worse a straggler to the ministry. Often the minister of sports thinks he is the minister of football, and that is the one who has the faintest idea about his brief!
It is obvious that Nigeria went to Athens with the true spirit of the Olympics in mind, which is, participation and not winning! I am sure nobody will admit that we did not prepare well. They will point out all the foreign countries we sent our athletes for training. But who can vouch for what went on there as training? Not long ago there was some disquiet when Mobil Nigeria Plc withdrew from the sponsorship of the only competition that was used for Olympics qualification.
It must have dawned on Mobil that the purpose for that competition was no longer attainable. For example, two famous athletes who did not compete in the Mobil trials, were dropped by the Chairman of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. The affected athletes protested and pleaded for wildcat status, but the AFN chairman put his foot down. And what happened? The minister of sports, obviously succumbing to sentiments or hankering for cheap popularity, overruled the AFN and sent the two unfit athletes to Athens on taxpayers’ money! How well did the two athletes perform?
Sports is about dedication, training, fitness, focus and endurance. Once you’ve lost it you’ve lost it! There is no sentiment about it. Maria Mutola lost her 800 metres crown to Kelly Holmes of Great Britain simply because she took herself for granted. But it was obvious to discerning eyes in the first 400 metres that Maria’s days are over. Her technique for the race was poor. She didn’t even pick a bronze! But the point is that you can only win if you are physically and mentally on top of the competition. This is the key to our poor outings, not the juju scare some irresponsible journalists scream about always. We do not prepare well. We have no worthwhile athletic competitions that can keep our athletes in top form. We depend on our student-athletes abroad, some of who burn out in the circuits chasing money to pay their bills, before major competitions!
This condition is frustrating more and more of our athletes. Olumide Ayodeji of D’Tigers, our national Basketball team has signified his intention to quit the national team. Reason? Ayodeji who plays in China is disgusted with the way the Nigerian Basketball federation is running the show. Bose Kaffo, a Table Tennis star who has been in the sport for 20 years, has also quit the national team. Reason? Poor administration! By the time Team Nigeria returns there will be more recriminations and more dumping of the national team.
Many may even follow the footsteps of Francis Obikwelu.
We should stop showing bloodshot eyes over those athletes who have taken citizenship of other countries, and concentrate on those who are still competing under Nigeria’s colours. To expect Obikwelu to show emotions for Nigeria after he won his silver medal was silly. It is his life! The day he took Portugese citizenship was the day he shed the last tears for Nigeria! It is true today that we would not have any football but for our boys who are playing abroad.
Even at that, many of them are still playing for Nigeria today because of their families here. Ask Taiwo Ogunjobi, the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Football Association. It took his kneeling down for Yakubu Aiyegbeni’s mother to get Yakubu to play again for Nigeria.
Our sports administrators are people who delight in reaping where (in fact, when) they did not sow. Wherever our football administrators hear of any player with the slightest Nigerian connection, they want him to play for the Super Eagles. Yet they show no regard for those already playing for Nigeria. We are supposed to be playing Zimbabwe on 5 September 2004. But as of now, we do not know the team that will play for us. We do not know their training programme.
Consider this joke: the NFA was snubbed by one Carlton Cole, who plays for Aston Villa. For all you know, this Cole may not know where on the map Nigeria is. NFA may not know any more than that he has a Nigerian blood. But does that make him a Nigerian? Yet our own Julius Aghahowa was asking the NFA: where is my invitation letter?! And we are not sure how many other Super Eagles have not received their letters of invitation for that match!
There is a committee or is it a panel currently seating to restructure the Nigerian Football Association. That may be good. But the entire administration of sports in Nigeria needs to be reappraised and reorganised. Sports can easily employ half of Nigeria’s youth and give them quality life.
There can be more Jay Jay Okochas and Nwankwo Kanus earning big bucks from lawn tennis, golf, cycling, gymnastics, ice-skating, swimming and boxing. Nigeria has produced two World Boxing champions. We have almost forgotten that. But that was when the likes of Chief James Modupe Johnson (JMJ) was minister of sports and labour. President Obasanjo should regard sports ministry as a grade ‘‘A’’ ministry, appoint the right person, get rid of those jamboree seekers and see the result in the next three years!
