Nigerian Sports Wax Stronger, 51 Years After Independence

Fifty-one years of existence as a nation, no doubt, offers Nigeria a unique opportunity to appraise its performances in the sports firmament at local, continental and global levels.

For many perceptive analysts, it has been a mixed fortune of sorts, weighed against the backdrop of many challenges in different fronts, which sometimes suggested under-achievements.

They insist that there had been as many positive outings as there had been some drawbacks, though on a general scale, the nation had done remarkably well.

Specifically, some allude to the vast pool of abundant talents that had not been fully exploited, while insisting that what would pass as achievements had not matched the huge investments in the nation’s sports sector.

Quite obvious has been some decay in the sector, especially with regards to poor maintenance of infrastructure, sagging morale among athletes and coaches, administrative hiccups and the attendant dismal outings in certain sports competitions.

Viewed against the national performances of countries such as South Africa, Ghana and Egypt, some skeptical sports analysts say that there has been nothing really extra-ordinary about Nigeria’s sports profile over the years.

With only two gold medals to boast of from 12 Olympic Games outings since independence, the skeptics’ disappointment may be understandable. Both gold medals had been won at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, U.S., by long jumper Chioma Ajunwa and the national Under-23 male football team.

Nigeria had also made four appearances at the FIFA World Cup finals, while winning two Africa Nations’ Cup titles after a cumulative 13 appearances and 25 other titles within the past 51 years.

President Goodluck Jonathan, while inaugurating the presidential committee on football administration, which he set up after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, did not seem too pleased with the nation’s global outings so far, against the quantum of resources invested in the nation’s sports.

“A number of factors, ranging from maladministration, mismanagement and misapplication of funds, insubordination, lack of focus and a general lackadaisical attitude towards the competition, contributed to our unenviable performance,” he said.

While the presidential thumb down specifically related to football performances, many citizens believe that the same viewpoint extended to virtually all other sports.

The drawbacks notwithstanding, Nigeria, as at today still remains an immense sports-loving nation with some measure of international respect.

Observers say that the nation’s sports sector has indeed been very strategic because of the passion of the people for a variety of sporting events, irrespective of age, creed, religion and political inclinations. Sports, they insist, have indeed proved to be the country’s most unifying force over the years.

They contend that it has served as a viable tool for national integration, nation-building and cohesion among the people, with the least regard to mundane values as ethnicity and religious bigotry, which had held the nation down for years.

Segun Odegbami, ex-national football team captain, spoke recently in Abuja, where he reinforced the viewpoint that sports was a great unifying force in the country.

“For us in Nigeria, sport is undoubtedly the greatest untapped unifying force amongour people,” he said.

Jonathan somehow lent credence to these sentiments early this year, when he honoured some of the nation’s athletes, who had excelled in various sports championships in the last two years.

He praised the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian athletes, alluding to their patriotic spirit.

“I praise your indomitable spirit and commitment to excellence, which my administration has always been proud of and will recommend to all Nigerians, especially our youths.

“I have always believed in our youths, who make up the bulk of our sports teams and I know that given the right support and motivation, they can hold their own anywhere in the world,” he said.

Such an indomitable spirit, in the face of some human-induced odds, had no doubt propelled many of the nation’s sportsmen and women to excel at national and international sports fora.

In retrospect, Nigeria has produced such sports greats as the late Dick Tiger and Hogan Bassey, both world boxing champions; ex-Olympians as Isaac Ikhuoria, Peter Konyegwachi and Chioma Ajunwa, among several others.

Other reputable athletes in different fields had been Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Innocent Egbunike, Mercy Akide-Udoh, Mikel Obi, Blessing Okagbare and Mary Onyali-Omagbemi.

Olusoji Fasuba, Florence Omagbemi, Fatima Yusuf, Rasheed Yekini, Chidi Imoh, Bose Kaffo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Atanda Musa and Nduka Odizor, Lawrence Awopega, David Imonitie, ‘Thunder’ Balogun, Peter Anieke, Sam Opone are among several others of the nation’s distinguished athletes, too numerous to mention.

Against the backdrop of the exploits of these patriots perhaps, soccer’s legend, Edson Arantes Dos Nascimento, popularly known as ‘Pele of Brazil’ predicted in the mid-90s that Nigeria would very soon win the World Cup for football.

While Nigeria’s sports profile had continued to rise, notable sporting monuments and infrastructure had also sprung up over the years, among them, the grandiose National Stadium, Abuja; the new Adokiye Amiesiemaka Stadium in Port Harcourt and other stadia in parts of the federation which had been upgraded.

Besides, successive administrations in the country had not hesitated to spend some good money on the hosting of international sporting events, thus enhancing the nation’s image and national prestige.

Few of them had been two All-Africa Games, the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup finals and the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup finals.

In matters of sports politics, Nigerians’ election into choice sporting positions had also portrayed the nation in very good and positive light.

There had been notable sports administrators as the late Orok Oyo, Dotun Segun, Habu Gumel, Amos Adamu, Sani Ndanusa and Violet Nwajei-Odogwu, Awoture Eleaye and late Abraham Ordia, among others.

A striking achievement in sports diplomacy had also been the final relocation of the headquarters of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) from Yaounde in Cameroon to Abuja.

Over the years also, Nigeria had successfully exported many footballers and athletes to countries across the world, who are presently making waves in the sports firmament.Table-tennis in particular placed Nigeria ahead of its African counterparts for a long time, with many of its players monopolising or changing between them the continental titles.

Renowned sports administrator, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, assessed Nigeria’s performance in sports over the years, acknowledging that the sector had been of great asset to the nation.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that sports has been the biggest asset in polishing the country’s image and we only need to look back at our history since independence to understand this.

“It behoves us all, especially those in the sports sector, to jealously guard what we have with sound administrative practices and better managerial attitude.

“This will help our sports to attain the greatest of heights, while boosting the nation’s international image.”

Many citizens, no doubt, share this viewpoint, just as they express the hope that the gains of the past would be consolidated upon, so as to sustain the country’s sports rating at a very high level.

—Olawale Alabi with News Agency of Nigeria