London Olympics as the mirror for Nigeria

The ‘giant’ of AFRICA HARDLY QUALIFIED FOR FINAL IN ANY OF TE EVENTS EXCEPT OF COURSE THE 100 METERS DASH FOR WOMEN WHICH THE NATION’S FLAG BEARER came last. In most other events, Nigeria was technically knocked out at the very preliminaries. This is a shame to us all and especially those who preside over […]

The ‘giant’ of AFRICA HARDLY QUALIFIED FOR FINAL IN ANY OF TE EVENTS EXCEPT OF COURSE THE 100 METERS DASH FOR WOMEN WHICH THE NATION’S FLAG BEARER came last. In most other events, Nigeria was technically knocked out at the very preliminaries. This is a shame to us all and especially those who preside over our affairs.

I am not worried about the funny sms that is making the rounds that Nigeria is at best an Olympiad in corruption and not in sport or any other positive human endeavor. I am worried about the fact that Nigeria as a country and we as a people are in a steady and fast decline in virtually every aspect of human progress. Our rulers seem unperturbed about the level of decay and degeneration in the polity.

For every medal won at the Olympics especially for the lesser mortals like Nigeria, there is a great deal of political and economic implications attached, not to talk about the social dimension which is obvious. For a giant like Nigeria to fail to be noticed in the line of other African and third world countries, I think there is every cause to be worried.

The last time Nigerian anthem was played during medal presentation ceremony was in 1996 at Atlanta courtesy of the Eagles and Chioma Ajunwa’s lucky jump. The Police woman cried after that even though she was elevated to a higher carder in the force. But the degree of non-challant attitude on the part of those who take decisions on our behalf is sufficient reason to discourage patriotism and selflessness on the part of our sports men and women.

Nigerian officials are very petit. Cleavages and primordial considerations are active in the selection of our national representatives in virtually every sphere including sports. The election or support to the charade that brought Goodluck Jonathan to power in April 2012 on the basis of region and religion is what we all will have to continue to pay in the next several years.

It was Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie who once said that the damages Professor Jubril Aminu was committing as the Minister of Education would take decades of sensible leadership of the education sector to correct. What the cardinal was saying was imply related to some lopsidedness which the Professor was trying to correct in the education sub sector that attracted that comment.

I am yet to hear anybody from that Nigeria’s divide complain frantically on the colossal damage that Goodluck Jonathan is doing to Nigeria and a possible suggestion of how long it will take responsible leadership in the country to correct. Aside the huge borrowing that we are witnessing, the tragic failure of responsibility on social cohesion coupled with unbridled leakages in government, it is unlikely that Nigeria would ever be out of the woods after Jonathan is out of the Villa.

I share the sentiments in some circles that in Olympics, what is most important is the participation. This is a defeatist strategy which Nigerian officials are eager to give whenever we complain about the huge gap between expenditure and outcome. The Olympic Games is simply a mirror of our national life; just as the government is unable to defend huge sums expended in relations to the nil return that reflects the reality in our everyday life. That is why so much has been pumped into the power sector and yet, electricity is an issue in the country.

That is why so much has been spent on refineries and yet they cannot work. That is why the roads are still death traps despite the huge sums expended on their construction and reconstruction.

I am worried that shame and conscience are out of the dictum of our elites in power and authority. We are prepared to make do with any garbage we get for them. This is the issue of the moment and not the rot people are talking about. The constitution has little faults if any. The unwillingness on the parts of those who operate the constitution to abide by its simple meanings is the problem and we can never get things right as long as we desire to continue in the manner that we are going.

From the poor outing in London, it is clear that Nigeria is no match with those it perceives as its African competitors. The earlier we agree we are not on the same page with countries like South Africa, Egypt and even Ghana, the better for us all. Just as we cannot compete with them in sports, we also cannot in the area of diplomacy. After all sports is one major component of diplomacy.

They all do good elections, we don’t. Their public officials are accountable, ours are not. Their leaderships are responsible to their citizens, ours are not. They are building strong institutions, we are not. They are making progress in virtually all aspects of human endeavors, we are moving backward. How then can anybody think Nigeria is on the same page with these countries?

The only game in town is politics of stupidity. No! Jonathan must run in 2015 even after he was enthroned through fraud and other means, he is not just sitting but sleeping and some of those who reap from the misrule are already calling on him to run again even if against the provisions of the constitution of the federation.

Those in power must know that the nation is stinking both at home and abroad. Self deception and illusions are partly responsible for the degeneration that we are facing as a people. The failure of the leadership is responsible for low morality in the society and that is why Nigerians commit all sorts of crimes at home and abroad.

We are worried when are interrogated at world airports. We are worried that in UK, USA, France and other western capitals Nigerians are discriminated upon in terms of jobs and other opportunities opened to foreigners.

London was a tragedy for Nigeria. I hope those in positions of authority would see the mirror clearly. A lot of changes are required to the wrongs in this country.