LAST week, the Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, stunned sports lovers across the country by fulfilling the promises made by the Oyo State government to the Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) squad that won the National League and WAFU Cup in 1998. Speaking during a special ceremony held to redeem the pledge, Governor Makinde reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting sports and correcting past injustices. He approved the allocation of plots of land to the victorious team members, fulfilling a pledge initially made by the then Military Administrator of the state, CP Amen Oyakhire. In the euphoria of the Shooting Stars’ WAFU Cup triumph, Governor Oyakhire had promised members of the squad ₦1 million and a plot of land each. He had also pledged N2 million and a plot of land to each of the officials, and N3 million and a plot of land to the club’s chairman. As it turned out, however, the promises of land were entirely hollow. And, worst still, successive administrations failed to fulfill it. Happily, however, the story changed with Governor Makinde. Hear him: “The government I lead believes in hard work, excellence, and justice. This is not just about redeeming a pledge; it’s about recognising and celebrating dedication and sacrifice.” We concur.
Among the beneficiaries of the newly approved plots are Sunday Adu (Captain), Andrew Aihkomogbe, Shanka Ugwah, Eric Ejiofor, Niyi Elegbede, Samuel Yamta, John Benson, Leye Akinde, Rafiu Salaudeen, Golden Ajeboh, Sunday Ilevbare, Peter Obanor, Ochuko Otos, Shobayo Adesina, Kazeem Tijani, Kola Ademola, Friday Christopher, Barr. Owolabi Salami, Dimeji Adenekan, Mojeed Azees, Pius Daniel, Bauldwin Bazuaye, Allain Njoh Njoh, Jossy Ladipo, and Bode Oyewole, the late Chairman of the club who received special recognition on the occasion for his strides during the period widely believed to have been team’s golden era. According to the reports, many letters had been written to previous administrations on the issue, but they failed to yield fruit, and Governor Makinde, whose attention was only brought to the issue during the build-up to 2023 gubernatorial election, had promised to look into it if he was re-elected.
To say the least, Governor Makinde’s redemption of the Oyo State government’s pledge to the 1998 WAFU Cup champions is a laudable step. It is a testament to integrity in public office and, if anything, it has redeemed the image of the Oyo State government in the eyes of sports lovers. Ideally, governance is a continuum and any state chief executive ought to be bound by the pledges made by his predecessor, except there is impropriety or illegality involved. In the extant case, it is distressing to realise that a pledge made to athletes who went out of their way to bring glory to Oyo State and to Nigeria as a whole took all of 27 years to come to fruition, but the point cannot be ignored that even this positive development is due to the presence in office of an administrator who is quite conscious of the dignity of the Oyo State government. While it is true that some of the intended beneficiaries have long transited into the great beyond, it is still a fact that their family members can enjoy the land allocation and take comfort from the fact that the great works of their departed loved ones are still speaking for them long after their demise. In any case, the symbolism of the gesture as a reward for excellence cannot be ignored, even if it has come rather late in the day.
To be sure, failed pledges abound in the land, as governments over the years made promises that turned out to be faker than a forged certificate, at least until they were redeemed. For instance, it took President Muhammadu Buhari, in June 2021, to fulfill the Federal Government’s promise of three-bedroom houses to members of the Super Eagles Squad that won the African Cup of Nations in Tunis, Tunisia, in 1994. Announcing the cheering news, Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser (SSA) on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had said: “Following a memo by Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, the President approved the allocations in their states of preference, noting that six players and three technical crews had received their houses already.” That was a positive moment, but a litany of broken promises continues to call the integrity of the Nigerian government into question. In February 2024, former Nigerian internationals Oluwafemi Ajilore and Victor Nsofor expressed their displeasure with the government’s broken promises following their 2008 Olympic Games silver-medal win. Ajilore wrote on his Instagram account @femfemo: “Where are promises and national honour promises for us? Someone should help and remind the FG. It’s not too late.” And Nsofor replied via his account, @victorobinna_official: “No be today my brother, promise promise but never redeemed.” Only recently, Bonfrere Jo, the Dutch tactician who led the Nigerian U-23 team to the Atlanta 1996 Olympics gold medal in the men’s football event, called out the government for not giving him his promised land in Abuja, 29 years after the event.
To be sure, it is not being suggested here that all governments have failed athletes. For instance, during the just concluded National Sports Festival (NSF) held in Ogun State, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, fulfilled his pledge to almost instantly reward athletes who won medals in the games, a factor which may have accounted for the state ending up as runners-up on the medals table. But it is a fact over the years, athletes who brought glory to Nigeria have had to contend with broken promises. That is a tragedy. When governments fail to keep promises, they portray themselves as covenant breakers who should never be taken seriously. They portray themselves as killers of talent and enthusiasm, putting both victorious athletes and up and coming athletes in an extremely difficult position. In Oyo State, it is heartening that a historical injustice has been addressed by an administrator who understands the cruciality of state integrity. It is our fervent hope that governments across the country will take a cue from this case and redeem their broken promises. The larger society, not just the sports community, will be the better for it.
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