Tokyo 2020: Nigerians as representatives of other countries

The 2020 Olympics has come and gone, but it would be quite unfortunate, even unconscionable, to ignore the lessons it taught Nigeria. At the end of proceedings in Tokyo, Japan, Team Nigeria placed 74th overall, and the eighth best country in Africa. Parading 55 athletes, the country won only two medals. Ese Brume claimed the bronze medal at the women’s long jump event, while Blessing Oborududu got the silver medal at the women’s freestyle 68kg wrestling event. The games, which began on July 23 and ended on August 8, had 206 countries as participants, with 93 of them winning medals. The instructive point for Nigeria, however, is that Nigerians representing other countries won more medals than Nigerians representing Nigeria at the games.

A few examples will suffice. During the men’s relay race, Anchor Filippo Tortu combined with Lorenzo Patta, Lamont Marcell Jacobs and Eseosa Fostine Desalu in a national record of 37.50. It was Italy’s first gold in the event and first medal since its 1948 bronze. Desalu’s parents are both Nigerian.  The Japanese female basketball team which defeated Nigeria’s D’ Tigress 102-83 in the final group game had in its ranks a Nigerian, Monica Okoye, as did the silver-winning UK relay team, which had Chijindu Ujah on display. Bolad Ajomale helped Canada to a podium finish at the 4X100m men’s event. The team got the bronze medal. The US all-conquering men’s basketball team had Bam Adebayo, just like the gold-winning USA women’s volleyball team, which paraded Foluke Akinradewo. There were also a handful of other Nigerians who participated in the games but did not win medals.

To be sure, we do not have any issues with athletes of Nigerian descent or athletes born and bred in Nigeria representing other countries at competitions. For one, they represent those countries as citizens, and some of them have never in fact been to Nigeria. For another, it is within the democratic rights of athletes to represent countries of their choice. In the area of sports, it is easy to see that the structures in place in the country are parlous. In sports, raw talent has to be nurtured by good sporting facilities and hard work. But good facilities are lacking in the country. That being the case, it is only natural that Nigeria has been losing talents to other countries. Nigeria, as evident in the number of Nigerians daily seeking an escape route out of its shores, is becoming increasingly unattractive to Nigerians by the day. Life in the country is hellish, and there is hardly any glimmer of hope. With bad leadership, widespread insecurity, terrible living conditions and the abuse of human rights, many Nigerians see no future for themselves in the country. And so they are increasingly desperate to exit Nigeria.

If experience over the years is any indication, Nigeria does not nurture talents. Many athletes in the country have not realised their full potential only because they have been held down by the Nigerian way of doing things. Besides, the list of athletes who represented other countries in different competitions after being denied a fair opportunity to prove themselves is fairly long. To take just one example, the two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, actually offered to represent Nigeria in 2008 as part of the country’s Olympics team, but was rejected by the coaches because of time constraints. Indeed, Nigerians representing Nigeria in various sports, from volleyball to basketball and football, have had various sad stories to tell about the poor attitude of sports officials to their jobs. Considering, for instance, how the Ministry of Sports messed up the country with the PUMA scandal at the Tokyo Olympics, it would take great patriotism for athletes faced with better options to represent Nigeria ever again.

It is a fact that the sportsmen and women of Nigerian descent that Nigerians are so proud of today would not have thrived if they had been raised in Nigeria. It is also the case that many little-known athletes leave Nigeria’s shores, only to become stars in Europe and the Americas. Till today, Nigeria’s foreign-based Super Eagles are better athletes than the home-based Eagles, not necessarily because they are much more innately talented but because they are exposed to state-of-the-art sporting facilities, better working conditions and a much more conducive society. Thus, in order not to keep losing talents to decent climes, Nigeria must become a modern society in the real sense. It needs to revamp its leadership recruitment process to ensure that only forward-looking, competent individuals assume the mantle of leadership. With better leadership, Nigeria would become a better country, nurturing talents and advancing its cause in various fields of endeavours, not just in sports.

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