It
is no longer news that Nigeria participated in the 2012 London Olympic
Games without winning any medal – gold, silver or bronze. Nigeria’s
performance at the Games represents the new depths of the country’s
overall rating in virtually all spheres of human endeavour. Whether it
is in sports, education, health, housing, technology, politics,
diplomacy, we are currently occupying very lowly positions. Ironically,
the Sports Development National Technical Working Group of Vision 2020
had projected that Nigeria would win at least 10 gold medals at the 2010
Commonwealth Games; top the medals table at the 2011 All Africa Games;
and win at least four and eight gold medals in the 2012 Olympic and
Paralympics Games respectively. But this did not happen. How did we
arrive at this boxed in corner and what steps do we take to climb out of
this valley?
Gone are the days when Nigeria produced world class
athletes who excelled in their chosen activities. In the 1996 Atlanta
Olympics, Chioma Ajunwa won gold in the long jump while the Kanu
Nwankwo-led Dream Team picked the gold in football. On their way to that
gold medal, the Dream Team defeated great football powers such as
Brazil and Argentina. In the sprints, we had the likes of Mary Onyali
who won bronze in the 200 metres event and Falilat Ogunkoya who also won
bronze in the 400 metres event. Ogunkoya, Fatima Yusuf, Charity Opara
and Bisi Afolabi later won silver in the 400 metres women relay. Duncan
Dokiwari got the bronze in the heavyweight boxing category. In Olympic
events before 1996 and at other international sporting events, Innocent
Egbunike, Sunday Bada, Clement Chukwu, Aniefok Udo Ibong, Chidi Imo,
Davidson and Osmond Ezinwa, Olapade Adenikan, Peter Konyekwachie, and
Ruth Ogbeifo among others had made Nigeria proud and hoisted our flag
among the best in the world. Nigeria in the past had produced world
boxing champions like Dick Tiger and Hogan Bassey. Thus, we have seen
the good times in sports and we need to reinvent our will and
determination to excel again.
Experts have advanced various reasons for Nigeria’s
disastrous outing in London. The reasons range from inadequate
preparation to poor sporting facilities for the training of athletes,
abandonment of grass roots and youths programmes for the discovery of
new talents, dearth of school sports programmes, poor coaching,
inadequate exposure of athletes to competitions, and inadequate
budgetary provisions reinforced by little or no support for sports from
the private sector. But these are all excuses for failure. These excuses
offer no succour to a nation in need of heroes and trend setters. The
bottom line is that these excuses are the tasks and responsibilities
that should have been tackled by a visionary sports ministry with the
support of the political leadership.
It is imperative to affirm that sporting talents are
in abundance in the country. Indeed, some sections of Nigeria by virtue
of their environment and topography have natural competitive advantages
and predispositions to compete and excel in some sporting events. Our
brothers and sisters from the Ijaw, Ilaje and Niger Delta areas who we
are informed are literally born into the water should have their talents
polished and exposed for us to start picking medals in swimming,
canoeing and related events. The high altitudes of Mambila Plateau and
similar areas should give us long distance runners who can match the
Kenyans and Ethiopians in those energy sapping races. We have enough
Nigerians with long limbs who can be nurtured to excel in such games
like basket ball, long jump and the sprints.
For us to excel in the Olympics and other sporting
events, Nigeria needs to take a number of steps which will produce
sustainable results. The steps recommended here are not exhaustive of
what needs to be done. The early identification and nurturing of talents
is the foundation for producing results. This in effect means that we
must bring back school and youth sports programmes. Primary and
secondary schools should be mobilised to form the bedrock of this
initiative. About 30 years ago, there could hardly be a school without a
sizeable football pitch and pitches for at least the sprint, races,
long jump, etc. University Games should also be made to regain their
place of pride in the sporting calendar. Education policy should ensure
the mainstreaming of sports.
The challenge of inadequate budgeting for sports
should be tackled. One is aware of the fact that government is facing
severe resource constraints. However, whatever sum appropriated for
sports should be released and cash-backed on time to enable adequate
training and preparation of athletes for major events. Corruption in the
sector should be eradicated. Budgeting for the sector should also be
premised on the understanding that sports is not a lottery where you
invest little or nothing to hit a jackpot. Sports is the greatest
evidence that as a man sows, so shall he reap. Thus, constant
investments and exposure are necessary to get the right results.
Scholarships, training grants, insurance, national awards and
recognition should be provided for athletes who are excelling in their
chosen fields. A situation where those who have contributed to the
political and economic ruination of the nation predominate in the list
of national honours discourages young men and women from investing their
time and energy in sports which requires a high level of commitment and
discipline.
The appropriate incentives, including tax reliefs,
for the private sector to invest in sports should be provided by
government. In this regard, sports should be seen and run like a
business so that it can pay good dividends to both athletes and
sponsors. Essentially, sports should be professionalised and beyond
football, athletes should be in a position to earn a living that can
sustain them for life. Athletes should be exposed long before big
competitions to compete with the best in class so that they can measure
their performance before the bid day and identify their specific needs
for improvement. Facilities should be upgraded across the board through
public and private resources and where feasible through public private
partnerships. Coaches should have the resources to update their
knowledge and to compete with instructors from leading countries in
their chosen field. In the education sector, human capacity should be
developed in strategic areas and sports related knowledge in law,
medicine, insurance, marketing, promotions, etc. The core difference
between our performance and that of leading countries is a product of
planning and application of the knowledge emanating from the multi
disciplinary backgrounds of sports managers in these countries.
Finally, the days are gone when the results of sports
competitions will not be benchmarked on the crucibles of value for
money. We can no longer afford large delegations which translate into
jamborees for sports events. We should be in a position to determine our
most likely and reasonable medal hopes and send only those who stand a
chance to win to such big games. The selection criteria should focus on
the value we want to add to Nigerian’s image and glory. What happened in
London is unacceptable and a disgrace to a country that is expected to
provide leadership for the Black race.
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