Nigeria’s Patriotism Of Penury

Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, conscious if sometimes anaemic efforts have been made to etch Nigeria`s name into the marble of global sporting powerhouses in salutary recognition of the power of sports, innumerably demonstrated the world over and the economic benefits and prestige it fetches in the comity of Nations. These efforts have been repeatedly rewarded and those times when it so happened that the country was borne on the shoulders of an athlete or team of athletes and raised aloft before the eyes of an admiring world remain etched eternally into the minds and memories of generations after generations of Nigeria. Memories and pride have been exchanged like a baton between generations of supporters.

One of those moments shimmering with greenness was born at USA ‘94 when Nigeria, led by the inimitable Clemens Westerhof, making its first ever appearance at the World Cup swept into the second round. The 1996 Atlanta Olympics brought eternal joy to the hearts of many Nigerians. Chioma Ajunwa jumped to Nigeria`s first ever Olympic gold medal and in so doing engraved Nigeria’s name on another milestone of sporting history. The Kanu Nwankwo- led Dream Team which cruised past global soccer powers, Argentina and Brazil on its way to Nigeria’s first ever Olympic gold in soccer remains unforgettably ingrained in Nigeria’s sporting lore. Over the years, our many football teams, most set up on shoestrings and crash programmes have defied the odds to do Nigeria great honour before an awe-struck world. On each return after such global conquering feats, the receptions are without fail strikingly similar; laced with effusive praises and promises of great guerdon. But except in a handful of cases where politically motivated promises have embraced political will to consummate the fulfillment of such promises, the many other instances of unfulfilled promises and failure at the rudimentary task of paying rightful bonuses and allowances to the athletes have betrayed deep-seated insincerity, un-seriousness and dereliction by a succession of the country’s sports administrators. Nigerian sports have previously shown that it can even if only temporarily appease Nigeria’s socio-cultural fragility and unite citizens of all shades and colours in moments of heartfelt triumph arguably more than any other singular factor or event. As Nigeria has gleefully glided into a mono-economy centred on oil and petro-dollars, leaving other potentially redeeming features of the economy in limbo, the world of sports has similarly taken to a destructive and disruptive fascination with soccer much to the chagrin and consternation of other sports. Had our fascination with soccer been properly channeled and managed into lifting Nigeria into the gold cast of global footballing powers and not the occasional flashes in the pan, the clamourers for the importance of other sports to be acknowledged would have had much of the wind taken out of the sails of their polemics. But alas, the mire of corruption which Nigeria as a whole and its sports administration in particular have sunk knee-deep in has ensured that our soccer is coated with graft and incompetence. Perhaps, it is this graft and incompetence that the Super Falcons who have been protesting their unpaid allowances and bonuses since they hoisted the AWCON trophy in Cameroon are determined to project and battle. If history’s charts pose correct readings, they have a big war on their hands, for they might indeed win this battle and get their money paid by harried and embarrassed sports administrators to save face, but would be required to hoe similarly difficult rows in the future. The guarantee is that they will run out of steam.

Nigerians have watched, alarmed and embarrassed by this latest episode of sporting dereliction made even more grotesque by the many howlers the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has freely dropped time and time again since he became Nigeria`s number one sports administrator. His infamous `United States of Nigeria’ gaffe dropped during the heroic feat of Nigeria’s U-23 men’s soccer team at the last Rio Olympics had hardly been forgotten when he recently greeted the Super Falcons` expostulations by shockingly revealing that ‘their victory was unexpected.’

To put it in proper perspective, strange things can happen in football and the pedigree of a team making an entrée into a tournament can never guarantee victory, but where the Falcons are concerned in women’s football in Africa, it can never amount to putting the cart of expectation before the horse of preparation if one were to reasonably hedge his bet that they would lift an AWCON they are going for. Besides, it is a team that has lifted eight out of the ten editions of the AWCON held to date, in spite of their struggles at the world stage. So what informed Dalung’s prognosis which has now been exposed for the hoax that it is? A singular answer wholly fits the fiddle: poor preparation and nauseating incompetence. Perhaps, the fears most Nigerians expressed when it was confirmed that Dalung, a lawyer, would head Nigeria’s sports ministry is now gaining flesh.

Nigerians are defiant and enterprising and these qualities always glisten in the different endeavours where they have laid their hands to the plough. Sports has not been left out. The bronze medal picked up by the Nigerian U-23 men’s soccer team during the recently concluded Rio Olympics against the man-made odds of poor logistics and even poorer provisions for remuneration best tell the story of the remarkable patriotism some Nigerians are capable of showing in spite of the cynicism beclouding the country.

This cynicism is fuelled largely by perceptions ordinary Nigerians hold of the country’s sports administrators, which perceptions have been coloured by the puerile intrigues and corrupt tendencies of the bureaucratic hyenas which have preyed on Nigerian sports for years.

Nigeria has shown that its enormous pool of sporting talents is large enough to accommodate other countries. This is best exemplified by the various athletes of Nigerian origin that have represented other countries in global sporting events with great success. Those other countries dangling the carrots of better welfare and facilities have been able to lure many of our finest athletes to their lairs and are working assiduously hard to lure even more. This spectre does not just haunt Nigeria, other African countries where successive sports administration have been inhibited by corruption and incompetence face this nightmare.

While patriotism is rewarded with penury and the circus in our sports administration continues, may it be clearly known that in the world of sports as in all other facets of life, there is no substitute for fool-proof preparation and copper-bottomed organisation.
Obiezu wrote this piece from Abuja. He can be reached [email protected]