As the Tokyo Olympics progressed without Nigeria registering her presence on the medals table I began to feel a sinking feeling. This feeling came from the understanding that the only thing that makes us see ourselves as a nation has also witnessed the failure of leadership that is now the hallmark of the Buhari administration. As I was feeling this way, then came the announcement that Nigerian athletes have been disqualified from the competition due to their inability to do the required out-of-competition test before the Olympics. The Nigerian Sports authorities, their handlers, and die-hard supporters of Buhari quickly came up with the defense that athletes are responsible for themselves and these tests. While we were still digesting these irresponsible stances that are now synonymous with Lai Mohammed and Femi Adesina, the Nigerian shot putter shared the video of himself watching the only sports outfit given to him. The magnitude of Buhari’s failure as a leader is all-encompassing, and I believe will soon become a global and local case study on how not to lead. The injury suffered by Enoch Adegoke at the finals of the 200 meters can also be attributed possibly to the lack of adequate medical care. The Nigerian delegation might even be found to have more administrative and political personnel than sporting members.
As all these happenings were playing on my mind, Ese Brume jumped to a Golden Bronze medal. Her Bronze medal temporarily deleted the negative emotions that had been building on my mind. I said Yes! Nigeria has finally answered present in the Olympics roll call of 2021. Watching Ese Brume waving and collecting her medal got me emotional as a Nigerian. At that moment I forgot the killings of Fulani herdsmen. I forgot the killings and kidnapping of bandits and kidnappers. And I forgot the evil and unreasonableness of the Buhari administration. When I got myself back, I took a look at the details of Ese Brume the athlete. Ese Brume is a Nigerian athlete who specializes in the long jump. She is a three-time African senior champion in the Long Jump and holds a personal best of 7.17m. She is the African junior record holder in the event and a five-time African junior champion in athletics. Reading the Guardian Newspaper (UK) narrative below, I became negatively emotional again because Nigeria is the biggest underachieving nation in the world – “It is a startling lack of success for a nation with such a strong sporting culture, not to mention Africa’s largest economy and a population of 201 million. There is a disjunction here. Nigeria has footballers in every elite league. Eight of its 12-strong men’s basketball team are current NBA players. The diaspora has, via second-generation citizens of Nigerian descent, provided a full hand of A-list athletes, from Anthony Joshua to Bukayo Saka. There is no logical reason why a vast and committed sporting nation should have such an unremittingly weak Olympic presence.”
The truth is that Nigeria and Nigerians will continue to fail if we don’t restructure or go our separate ways regionally. For the South-South, I propose the United Kingdom of the Niger Delta. A new nation where nationals from all ethnicities, tribes, or Kingdoms and traditional rulers from the Oba Of Benin in the North West of the United Kingdom to the Obong of Calabar in the South East are given their rightful place. And the nation focuses on human resource development as opposed to natural resources development. Just imagine what a tribe or Kingdom like the Urhobos will produce with the likes of Ese Brume, African fastest woman Blessing Okagbare, and Divine Odoruru. Or in finance what the Anioma Kingdoms with produce with the likes of Okonjo-Iweala, Tony Elumelu, and Jim Ovia. It is high time we start thinking in Kingdoms to develop our greatest potentials which are the human resources of our teeming youth population. I call on leaders of Urhoboland and other ethnic nationalities to start setting up programs to harness the abilities of their youths. There are many Brumes out there waiting and wasting. We all stand to lose greatly if we cannot create an environment that can nurture the great nature of our youths.
Ata Ukuta, Editor – www.towncryyers.com