BY BOLAJI AFOLABI
So, after about four weeks in Paris, Team Nigeria which participated in close to a dozen sports with about 90 athletes, came back “empty handed.” It became obvious that the two weeks training in Germany was grossly inadequate to win medals. Only few of the over-30 sports federations registered their presence at the Olympics, majority of them only visible by name. Somehow, the team’s superlative achievements at the All African Games held in Ghana, few months back where they came second out of over 50 countries was flattering. Same as the African Athletics Championship in Cameroun, where Tobi Amusan and others had to travel by road. Not winning any medal was bad, but having countries including Kenya, Algeria, Cote D’Ivoire, Zambia, and Ethiopia in “Africa’s Top 10” ahead of Nigeria is worse.
Being a country that is super-passionate about sports, the preponderance of reactions by people is expected. That Nigeria has only won about 10 medals in almost 30 years of participation in the past seven Olympics speaks volumes. After every four years, from the Atlanta games to other previous host-cities and Paris, it has been the same rhythm and lyrics. A deluge of blame-games, huffing and puffing, as well as unintended promises fills the airwaves. They are also splashed on the pages of the newspapers. In one or two instances, sports administrators, technocrats, and stakeholders are herded into “talk-shops” to review, and proffer strategies for the “way forward.” Often times, nothing concrete is achieved.
As a nation, it has become necessary to wean ourselves from the four-yearly circus show of global failure and frailties. We have to, this time be truthful to ourselves. We have been unfair to the career progression and development of our youths. The Paris showing is a wake up call to critical stakeholders in sports, federal government, and Nigerians in general. The dismal outing could turn out to be a blessing because it is only when we rise from failure and falling that we discover the true strength within. Taking full responsibility for the Paris failure, and promising to chart a new, different, and results-yielding cause for sports development, Minister John Enoh may have provided the required lead for audacious change in the sector.
Indeed, within the sporting fraternity, there are vagaries of opinion about Team Nigeria’s performances at the Paris games. A school of thought strongly believes it was “the worst in our Olympics history.” Another counters by insisting that there are hopes for the future. Yet, a different group counselled that Nigeria should leverage on the opportunities and possibilities embedded in failures and adversities. They admonished people to look at the cup half full and not half empty. As a people with strong passion for sports development, Nigeria deserves pragmatic strategies anchored on time-specific, objective-driven, and vision-yielding templates. One of the potent keys towards this is to identify and play-up the positives recorded in Paris.
Yes, Team Nigeria did not win medals but the performances of some of our athletes has attracted global attention and recognition. Few days after the Paris Olympics, some athletes have gone up the ladder in their respective sports in the latest World Athletics, (WA) rankings. Favour Ofili, Africa’s top-most in 200 metres women placed 6th in Paris, has moved from 31st to 8th position. Eighteen years old Samuel Ogazi, who is currently 3rd in Africa, became the first Nigerian to get to Olympics finals in 400 metres men at the Paris games after Innocent Egbunike in Seoul 1988, is now 12th from 23rd in the world. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, two-time African champion in Shot Put men is rated seventh. Few others including Ruth Osoro, Prestine Ochonogor, Konyinsola Ajayi, Favour Ashe, and Utsheoritse Itsekiri got moderate uplifts in the WA rankings. Top athletes including Tobi Amusan who did not make the 110 metres hurdles final but her 12.55 seconds was not a waste as she is now 5th in WA rankings; and Ese Brume in the Long Jump women.
At the Paris Olympics, Anuoluwapo Opeyemi’s records in Handball men emerging the first African to get to the 2nd round, as well as being the first African to qualify for two consecutive Olympics is no small feat. Not forgetting the quantum leap of D’Tigress in Female International Basketball Association, (FIBA) rankings courtesy of beating two Top-5 teams, Australia and Canada, qualifying for the Quarter finals; first by any African country – male and female where they lost to eventual gold medalist, United States of America. How about the gallantry of Blessing Oborududu, Adekuroye, and other colleagues in Wrestling? These are positives that can be properly harnessed, strongly positioned, and carefully nurtured to global recognitions in few years. Not holding brief for sports officials, administrators, and government it is foolhardy to expect a nation that spends paltry 9 billion naira; about $30m and it’s lack of preparation, organisational ineptitude, and administrative inefficiencies to be at par (or close to) Great Britain and South Africa that expended about $330m and $300m respectively.
While one commends Enoh for taking a position otherwise alien to public service, and abominable to most Nigerians in leadership positions, it is imperative he receives the support of stakeholders in the sporting sector. They need him to “walk the talk.” Sports enthusiasts and technocrats want him to do this with uncommon alacrity. The African proverb that you need two hands to lift a heavy luggage is better exemplified in weightlifting. Since the sports sector is now in the “surgery theatre” Enoh must swiftly, and speedily reach out to relevant government agencies, organised private sector, diplomatic corps, state governments, and philanthropists for reasonable and realistic partnership.
Growing up, the writer recalls the massive involvement of the military and police force in sports development. They had teams and individuals in football, athletics, boxing, and few other sports who participated in national, regional, and global competitions. It is heart warming that para-military services including the Nigerian Police, the Customs, Immigrations, Prisons, Road Safety Corps, Civil Defence, and the Fire agency are continuing in similar direction. These agencies are strong in Volleyball, Handball, Boxing, and Athletics. As coordinating ministry for national sports development, Enoh must galvanise his team towards proper synergy and collaboration with these services, and the military.
In times past, the private sector played leading roles in the promotion and development of sports. Some corporate organisations were involved in talent discoveries, and grassroots development. One cannot forget Unipetrol’s sponsorship of the “Clay Court” competitions in Kaduna and Kano which attracted the best lawn tennis players from around the world. Same with the “Ogbe Clay Court” in Benin City, and others in Enugu and Port Harcourt which were bankrolled by corporate organisations. The “Lord Rumens” tennis competition sponsored by a philanthropist cannot be forgotten. The “Shell Cup” football competition for secondary schools, and Mobil Oil sponsored “Nigerian Open” for athletics readily comes to mind. Enoh must ensure that these and many others that were production-nurseries for athletes are revived, nurtured, and deepened.
Prioritisation in the realisation of set objectives is paramount. As Enoh embarks on veritable partnership and robust collaboration in sports development, it is germane that focus should be on sports that Nigeria has comparative advantage over many other nations, and has realistic chances of winning medals at competitions. True, table tennis has produced, from one generation to the other players who rose to become world-beaters. As evidenced at the last three Olympics, China has shown consistent near-dominance. How about making Chinese firms operating in Nigeria to either underwrite the salaries and allowances of coaches employed from China? Foot the bills of yearly refresher courses for our local coaches in China? Adopt few of our players, yearly and pick-up training bills and other allowances? These and more can be the company’s corporate social responsibility, (CSR). Same for weightlifting.
From empirical evidence, boxing remains one of our strong sports. Giving Uzbekistan brilliant performances in Paris, similar model above can be explored. In swimming, with the humongous revenue generated by MTN, and other South African companies operating in Nigeria, there can be partnership to develop swimming; which is a multi-medal sport. We can explore similar initiative for basketball, athletics, handball, volleyball, and few others. Fact is, there are bright sides to Nigeria’s blues at the Paris Olympics. If and when Enoh embarks on this long, tortuous but eventually fulfilling journey, he must be brutally frank, bold, and courageous in decision-making. Knowing that sports-loving Nigerians would be with him, he should be free, fair, transparent, and sincere at all times in leadership changes at the sports federations. More importantly, he should ensure the weeding of “strongholds” that have held down sports development; this is corollary to the success or otherwise of any noble intention he has.
BOLAJI AFOLABI, a development communications specialist was with the Office of Public Affairs in The Presidency.