Can We Share In Their Glories? By Anthony A. Kila

Take a Nigerian and you have
a survivor, take two Nigerians
and you get two competing
survivors, take three
Nigerians and you get a
series of contradictions. That
in part is the story of Nigeria
in the just concluded
successful London Olympics.
It is also in part the story of
this Nigeria as a whole, this
rich but poor country where
things start great but end
teeny, this land of many titles
but little deeds, this nation
full of places of worship but
neither known as a haven nor
for godliness.
Although Nigeria might not
seem godly to many from
afar, we can assure them
that extraordinary things
happen in this land that
turns soldiers into militicians
and together with politicians
they play politricks rather
than politics with a resolve to
make the best and brightest
be led and represented by
the mediocre. All of these in
a system where the simple is
made complex and the
obvious made mysterious. All
of these in a system where
the people, normally
provident and ingenious in
their private life, are in a
perennial shock of the
obvious when it comes to
their public interest. It is all
so fascinating for a scholar
but sad and painful for a
citizen.
A cruel British friend and
colleague casually called my
attention to the fact that this
might be the worst Olympics
for Nigeria in the last quarter
of a century. He was clearly
rubbing it in, should I still be
his friend? I have checked it
is true: the last time we did
not win a single medal was
1988 in Seoul. A look at the
IOC records will make one
think Nigeria’s best days are
behind. “I reject it”, as they
say in Nigerian parlance.
Sadly it is nothing new; this is
not the first time we take one
giant step forward and many
backwards. Do you know our
world cup story? Students of
sports management should
be made to use it as a core
case study. The Super Eagles
entered the 1994 World Cup
with a bang and after their
first match they became
everybody’s darling of the
tournament but since then it
has been backward: The
Nigerian national squad’s
trajectory in the global event
has been from great to
anonymous, to absent, to
pathetic and then to
annoying.
Whilst the Nigerian flag and
country may have little
Olympic success to fly and
cheer about, that is definitely
not the case for the people
of Nigeria. The individual
Nigerian, once freed from the
shackles of the Nigerian
system, becomes the
unbridled and enterprising
survivor capable of
competing and excelling
amongst his and her peers
across the world. Like their
parents that tend the sick
and teach the young in
different parts of the world
outside Nigeria based merely
on personal merits and
interest, many young
Nigerians now have a lot to
cheer about in the just
concluded Olympics, they are
of course doing so cladded in
non Nigerian colours and
they are doing so whilst the
country Nigeria is going
home dejected.
From day one of the games, I
started making a list of these
Nigerians and the list grew as
the games continued. These
brilliant stars shined thanks
to their performance and I
recognized them to thanks to
their names. Regardless of
their final results, it was a joy
to hear people around me
chant names like Margaret
Adeoye, Danielle Alakija,
Eniola Aluko, Oluwadamilola
Bakare, Peter Bakare, Ifeoma
Dieke, Innocent Emeghara,
Temi Fagbenle, Andre
Iguodala, Ayodele Ikuesan,
Christian Ohuruogu, Marilyn
Okoro, Lawrence Okoye,
Anyika Onuora, Ezinne
Okparaebo, Abi Oyepitan and
so on. I am sure they are
many more whose name may
not have given us the clue to
readily recognize them. My
personal star of London 2012
is 20 years old Liz Cambage
born on the same day as my
daughter Noemi Kila. Liz
Cambage is commonwealth
incarnate, born in England to
Nigerian and Australian
parents. Whatever happens in
future, she will remain the
first female player to
complete a dunk in Olympic
basketball. In the game
against the USA, she racked
19 points in 20 minutes and
made the USA coach call
aside his team to say you
must “stop her”.
Conversations with others
have revealed I was not the
only one proud of these
international stars and
supporting their flags.
Nigerians spectators were
rooting for athletes not flying
Nigerian flags. Nigerians
names were present in
almost every activity and
almost any country you can
think of. My favorite example
comes from American based
Nigerian Dr Ladi Adeniyi and
his wife. They came to
London for the games and
they told me they were
rooting for Fiji because of
Danielle Alakija.
All fantastic for globalization,
but a question must be asked
locally: Can we share in their
glories? Truth be told: As a
country, we neither trained
nor encouraged these
champions. We did not invest
in them. The team Nigeria
managed was awful, let us be
clear; not because we lack
talents but because of poor
vision, bad management and
an irritating inability to get
simple things right. Innocent
Egbunike was called in as
head coach of Team Nigeria
200 hundred days to the
games.
We need to review our
understanding of and
commitment to sports. These
are not just games they
never have been, it is
economy, nation building,
image making.

#CONSENSUS 2015