Blessing Okagbare: Abandoned on the cross

The news of Blessing Okagbare’s disqualification from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) sequel to her failing an out-of-competition test was a great let down for the nation because we had all put our hope on the sprinter winning at least a medal after she won the 100 metres heat and was scheduled to participate in the semi-finals. But that was not to be as the announcement of her testing positive for human growth hormone came a few hours before the event.

But perhaps more bewildering is the claim that since the unfortunate incident happened, neither the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development nor the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) had reached out to the United States of America-based athlete. According to her elder sister, Grace Okagbare, in a statement issued this past week, not only had the sprinter been abandoned and left to her fate, she is also being goaded by the AFN to admit to a crime she did not commit.

It goes without saying that the AFN, ministry and the nation as a whole were all disappointed with the turn of event at the Tokyo Olympics as no fewer than a dozen Nigerian athletes were disqualified as a result of failing the out-of competition tests. So, it is understandable if at the initial stage the federation was thrown into a state of confusion and inertia but that is no longer excusable if after almost three months neither the leadership of the federation nor the ministry has deemed it necessary to engage with Okagbare with a view to charting a way forward but rather both have opted to throw her under the bus.

Okagbare is not a push over in her trade and should not have been shoved under. She deserves better treatment than what she got from both the federation and the ministry. This is an individual that has given her best to her country. She is an athlete that has won the nation many laurels and has caused the nation’s flag to be flown high at many international competitions. She is an Olympic medalist and an African champion in track and field events. This is a woman that has done so much for the country. So, I expect that those in charge of athletics and sports should have given her a shoulder to lean on in her weakest moment. But rather than do that, she is being demonised and her countrymen have even declared her guilty before the jury sits to adjudicate on her matter.

As a result of her disqualification, Okagbare is a wounded soldier but rather than the army on which side she had fought and won many battles in the past nursing her back to health and helping her back to her feet, it is determined to kill her because she is seen as an added burden. The right thing for the AFN and the ministry to do, even if they are not convinced by her claim of innocence, is to stand by her until the AIU comes out with a verdict one way or the other unless they have proof that she is guilty. But to abandon someone who has done so much for the country in her time of need is not just to fail her but to also misunderstand the purpose of a country. The purpose of a country is to provide every member; strong or weak, rich or poor, great or small a sense of belonging by providing a safety net in their time of weakness. A country that fails to provide succor for her hurting citizens has no hold on such citizens. Countries that understand this and make the interest of their citizens paramount enjoy high level of patriotism from their nationals while those who lack this understanding grow discontent and unpatriotic citizens.

One of the major challenges our country is currently confronting is that of ebbing patriotism. The country is fast losing the bond that ties her with her citizens. That is why many Nigerian athletes even at the last Olympics shunned their Nigerian citizenship to compete in the colours of other countries. It is the same reason Nigerian doctors and many other professionals, trained with Nigerian resources, are fast leaving the country to take up the citizenship of other countries.

The treatment meted out to Okagbare by the nation’s sports administrators is a disservice to the nation. It is a terrible advertisement of how the country sees her citizens. It is a warning to budding athletes not to give their best to the country because the country will not support them in their time of need. It is a loud statement to those driven by patriotism that the nation does not have the capacity to reciprocate the gesture. It is a caution to young people that Nigeria does not reward loyalty.

By abandoning Okagbare on the cross where the AIU has hung her and heaping blames on her, what both the AFN and the Ministry of Sports have demonstrated is that they are undeserving of the responsibility the country has placed on them. Certainly, Nigeria and Nigerians deserve better than what these people are offering.

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