The 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Sunday berated Nigeria’s sports leadership for the disastrous outing in the just-ended 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the Olympic Games where nine African countries won medals, Nigeria finished with no single medal after squandering billions of naira.
Writing on his X handle, Obi said: “Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 has officially ended, and our dear Team Nigeria, despite the huge financial investment made into the project, is returning without a single medal, may I sincerely register my displeasure with the rascality and recklessness that has continued to characterise leadership in our nation, which often portrays our country as a joke, even on the international stage?
“How can one explain that a country like Jamaica spent less than 5% of what we spent on our contingents for the Paris Olympics 2024 and won as many as 6 medals, and with our huge financial investments, we could not win even a singular medal? At least nine African countries won gold but the giant with over 200m people came home without even a bronze.
“We invested about N12 billion into this Olympics, which is almost twice the amount budgeted for the entire Ministry of Science and Technology for this year’s budget. This is over N136 million (about $85,000) spent on each of the 88 Nigerian contingents to the Olympics, and no singular medal was won while Jamaica, a nation which spent far less than we did, a total of about $2300 on each contingent, won 6 medals; 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze at the Olympics. We must now question how we made this huge investment, without getting any returns.
“Sad stories like these are only obtainable because we have refused to embrace competence and capacity over favouritism in Nigeria.
“Let us consider the case of Favour Ofili, a Nigerian professional sprinter who trained for years for the 2024 Olympics, only for her name to be recklessly and wrongly removed from the list of athletes for the 100m race at the Olympics by Nigerian sporting authorities.
“What explanation can anyone give about Annette Echikunwoke, a former Nigerian hammer thrower, who was frustrated by the same rascality of some Nigerian leaders, making her switch her allegiance to the United States, where she eventually won a medal in the ongoing Olympics?
“These same professional athletes were denied the opportunity to represent our nation in Tokyo 2020 for a similar reason of administrative recklessness.
“I have it on good authority that some injured athletes, not physically fit to represent the country and not competing in the ongoing Olympics, were there in Paris receiving estacodes from our national resources.
“Some of the sports officials and others who have no reason to be at the Olympics were there too, living large and feeding fat on the estacodes while our nation was crashing out on every sporting event.
“One of our athletes, Ese Ukpeseraye, had to borrow a bicycle to compete at her sporting event. How can one truly explain that?
“What a country! What a shame! When do we stop these rascalities that always rob our nation of golden opportunities to make a positive change?
“I call on the government to investigate these gross misconducts and make sure that those responsible do not have the opportunity to do so again.
“We must build a nation of discipline and commitment to duty, where competence and capacity reign. That is the New Nigeria we preach, and it is POssible.
Also, Obi eulogized two great Nigeria footballers, Ex-Rangers International Football Club legends – Stanley Okoronkwo and Harrison Mecha. He had joined other sports lovers in service of songs in Enugu last Thursday.
Both Okoronkwo and Mecha were retired footballers who enjoyed fulfilling football careers while playing for the Rangers Football Club and for the national team in their days.
“I have consistently advised that such heroes who have made positive impacts in our nation and contributed to our development by utilizing their talents and skills be celebrated and appreciated.
“Celebrating such heroic personalities will awaken in our younger generation, the passion to contribute to societal development.
“Both Okoronkwo and Mecha were football heroes who distinguished themselves in the field of play and contributed to the growth of our sports sector.
“May God Almighty, who is pleased to call them home, grant them eternal rest, and grant their families, the Ex-Rangers Int’l Footballers and all of us the fortitude to bear their irreplaceable loss.
May God continue to protect and bless their families.”