By Bayo Fasunwon

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The exercise of the body is vital to its sustenance and longevity. In many climes, many had thought this was the major reason for sports. However, sporting activities have become bread earners and career paths for those who gave their all to it. In fact, many sportsmen and women, especially in football, earn unbelievable sums of money from their participation as well as endorsement, and thus advertisement earnings. What some sportsmen earn in a week is more than what some State governments have as annual budgets. Therefore Sport has transcended bodily exercise and has become a means of entertainment and fortune earners for all who love it, that is, the Sportsmen and women, spectators, administrators, countries, manufacturers and of course those who place bets on games. For a wise country, sports have become remittance earners, and magnets of foreign direct investments. Simply put, sport is money.
Beyond the monetary gains of sports, it is also an avenue to foster peace, locally and globally. It is often believed that while you may quarrel with the ones you play with, it is rare to go to war with one’s playmates. Therefore, the Olympics, World tournaments, and local sports have become means of cementing peace all over the world. In history, nations who would have issues have settled such on the field of sports rather than through the barrels of guns. Although we have had times when people went to war over sporting events, but that is negligible in comparison to sports for love. On the other hand, one would like to see sport as war by peaceful means. All nations going to compete in international sporting events prepare as if going to war. Apart from the economic gains that come with victories, the international recognition given to such countries are enormous. There are countries in the world that would have been unknown but for their exploits in sports. Therefore, when the whistle goes off in sporting event, a war of recognition and honour begins.
Nigeria is a country brought to limelight by sports. The country boasts of great sportspersons who have brought glory, honour, and wealth to the nation. However, in recent times, the nation seems to have lost its bite in sports. National and State governments have done little to promote any form of sport in Nigeria, and build it up into excellent fighters. Rather than building up the talents, we have rather become exporters of talents to other nations of the world. Thus the likes World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, sprint queen Gloria Alozie, Oluwakemi Adekoya, a Nigerian-born athlete who specialises in 400m, now represents Bahrain, Ezinne Okparaebo for Norway and Femi Ogunode is at the Olympics flying Qatar’s flag. In the past, Francis Obikwelu who switched to Portuguese nationality in 2002 has since won several medals, including two gold wins in 100m and 200m at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics. On many occasions, when lined up to run, it has always been Nigeria racing against Nigerians donning the flags of other nations. There are several others in football and almost every other sport. They all had individual stories of frustrations to tell for their ‘disloyalty’ to the country of their birth.
Even those who in the spirit of being ‘faithful, loyal, and honest’ decided to fly the Nigeria flag have tales of woes. It was reported that the D’Tigers who eventually crashed out of the Olympic Basketball tournament after fueling our hopes in pre-Olympics tournaments) had in order to provide training, travel and needs resorted to seeking for alms or in civil language, aids. Also due to the negligence of the country, the Athletics Integrity Unit had to disqualify 10 of the nation’s athletes, while Blessing Okagbare was also suspended over doping issues. Therefore, Nigeria was included in Category A at the start of 2020 following a continued period of weak domestic testing levels. The pain of these disqualifications made our athletes protest in Tokyo, in the view of all nations, while Blessing Okagbare could not but reportedly say that, “The sport system in Nigeria is so flawed, and we athletes, are always at the receiving end of the damages. They were busy fighting over power, exercising their pride over puma contract/ kits forgetting their major responsibility “THE ATHLETES”. It is sad that this cycle keeps repeating itself and some people will come out to say I am arrogant for speaking my truth. It is my career.”
Now, an unprepared nation could only boast of two medals and unpalatable global press analysis. The psyche of the nation dwindles the more. The negligence of our youths in Tokyo is however a product of the system of negligence at home. Government has not shown in real terms that the youths ought to be supported and groomed with all resources to have global reckoning, just like the ill treatment given to defecting athletes; there are large cases of brain drain in the country. While the nation pacifies bandits and kidnappers, Medical Doctors that engaged on Industrial Actions are being told to keep quiet and work or resign. Now there is huge brain drain in the health sector, especially when the Delta variant of COVID 19 has dropped its anchor on Nigeria waters. The same story is told of academicians, technicians, and whole families. When a nation loses its human resources to ‘competitors’, its development agenda flops and it is set back several years.
Nigeria is not a good story to tell. The country seems unconcerned that her stars and God ordained saviors are leaving to bestow their greatness on other nations. The country seems to operate on an unwritten code that: ‘people must be frustrated and kept in servitude’. We treat citizens with disdain at home, and expect them to be honored abroad. Sports, talents, and all forms of development at the grassroots have been subdued and killed; completely those who struggle to international reputation are disgraced and neglected. A good nation would do all things possible to develop and utilize its human resources, as they remain the most tangible resources of infinite value. However, Nigeria seems to be a nation that relishes in burying her heroes. China tops the world in medal haulage today, while they also lead in economics and technology. Investment in people would invariably pay off in every aspect of the nation’s health. Nigeria has to get to the point of giving her citizens what they need to compete favourably with counterparts in all fields of endeavors, without asking. Those who fled the country and are making waves outside her shores have proved that Nigerians are neither lazy nor dull, but their creativity is being killed by governments’ negligence, myopic thinking, misplaced priorities and celebrated 15th Century laws and policies in the 21st Century.
Charity begins at home. Nigeria(ns) did not fall in Tokyo, they did in Nigeria. Our leaders believe in miracles, forgetting that the miracle giver insists that faith without works is dead. Just as ignorance cost the nation participation in Tokyo, lack of knowledge by Ignoramus in Power has cost the nation huge economic losses. It is high time we base selections, elections and appointments on merits rather than primordial under developing factors. Tokyo 2021 showed us that all is not well with the nation, and the earlier we succumb to the physician’s prescription of radical focused changes, our tears have just begun.