PETER OBI LAMENTS OVER NIGERIAN’S OLYMPIC FAIL
“Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 have officially concluded and our dear Team Nigeria is returning without a single medal despite the huge financial investment made into the project, let me express my dissatisfaction with our team’s performance and their handlers,” he said.
“The insolence and carelessness that have persisted to define leadership in almost every sector of our country. Even on the international scene, the prevalent perception that has stuck with people is that of our nation as a joke. How can one explain a nation like Jamaica that earned up to six medals at the Paris Olympics in 2024 while spending less than 5% of our budget on our delegations? Despite our substantial financial outlay and sizable contingent, we were unable to secure even a single medal?”Obi laments!
While at least nine African nations took home gold medals, the massive nation of almost 200 million people returned home empty-handed! This year’s Olympics cost us approximately N12 billion, which is nearly twice as much as the Ministry of Science and Technology had allocated for the entire year.
Over N136 million, or over $85,000, was spent on each of the 88 Nigerian delegations to the Olympics, but not a single medal was taken home.
In contrast, Jamaica, a country that spent significantly less than we did—roughly $2300 on each contingent—won six medals in the games, including one gold, three silver, and two bronze.
We now need to examine the connection between this enormous investment and our disappointing results.
We only have sad stories like these because Nigerians have chosen routine and favouritism over competence and capacity.
In the example of Favour Ofili, a professional sprinter from Nigeria who spent years training for the 2024 Olympics, let’s examine how Nigerian sporting officials mistakenly and carelessly withdrew her name from the list of participants competing in the 100-meter event.
What explanation is there for Annette Echikunwoke, a former hammer thrower from Nigeria, who switched her allegiance to the United States and eventually won an Olympic medal there? She was irritated by some of the same rascalities in Nigerian politics.
Due to comparable administrative negligence, these same elite athletes were not given the chance to compete for our country in Tokyo 2020.
I have it on good authority that there were some injured athletes in Paris making use of our national resources, even though they were not physically capable of representing their country or competing in the current Olympics.
While our country was failing miserably in every single event, several sports officials and others who had no business attending the Olympics were also present, living lavishly and stuffing themselves with food.
Ese Ukpeseraye, one of our athletes, needed to borrow a bicycle in order to participate in her sporting event!
