August 12, 2024

Nigerians Demand Urgent Reforms After Disappointing Olympic Performance

In light of Nigeria’s dismal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where our nation failed to secure a single medal despite significant financial investments, concerned Nigerians have come together to demand urgent reforms in our sports sector. This petition highlights the frustration and disappointment felt by citizens and calls for a complete overhaul of underperforming ministries, agencies, commissions, and parastatals responsible for the development of sports and youth engagement in Nigeria.

As Nigerians, we take great pride in our culture and the boundless potential of our youths. However, it is deeply disheartening to witness the continuous neglect and exploitation of our athletes, who are denied opportunities to compete at both national and international levels.

The recent Olympic failure is a stark reflection of the systemic issues plaguing our sports sector, which has been marred by administrative inefficiency, lack of accountability, and poor leadership.

A former presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, expressed his disappointment over the failure of the Nigerian contingent to win any medals at the Olympics. He called on the federal government’s handling of the sports sector, citing the N12 billion allocated for the Olympics, which is almost double the budget of the Ministry of Science and Technology, yet yielded no results.

He highlighted the stark contrast between Nigeria’s expenditure and the achievements of other nations. For instance, Jamaica, which spent a fraction of what Nigeria did, secured six medals at the Olympics. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of our sports management and the apparent mismanagement of resources.

Furthermore, the former candidate condemned the removal of Favour Ofili’s name from the Nigerian team despite her rigorous training and dedication. He also pointed out the case of Annette Echikunwoke, who switched allegiance to the United States due to similar administrative failings and went on to win a medal in the Olympics.

Adding to the national embarrassment, a major media outlet highlighted several athletes of Nigerian descent competed for other countries and some won medals, including SALWA EID NASER (Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu), the Nigerian-born athlete won silver for Bahrain in the 400m women’s event at the Olympics; Rhasidat Adeleke ran for Ireland at the Olympics; Victoria Ohuruogu of England GB track team. She won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics as part of the British women’s 4x400m relay team; YEMISI OGUNLEYE, was born in Germany. She won gold for the country of her birth in shotput at the 2024 Paris Olympics; ANNETTE ECHIKUNWOKE with United States and won a silver medal in the hammer throw, the first American woman to win a medal in the sport; SAMUEL OMORODION with Spanish team that won the gold medal & Edrice Femi ” Bam ” ADEBAYO in basketball for USA.

These athletes’ successes highlights what Nigeria could achieve if proper support and opportunities were provided to our sports talents.

“We believe that this disgraceful outcome is symptomatic of broader issues within our governance structure, where neglect and mismanagement have become the norm. Our youths, full of promise and talent, are being let down by a system that fails to nurture their potential.”

“We call on the Nigerian government to immediately address these issues by implementing policies that will reform our sports sector and other critical areas of human development. This is not just about winning medals; it’s about restoring hope and providing our youths with the opportunities they deserve to contribute positively to national development”, added Cmrd Godson Azu.

We urge all Nigerians to join us in signing this petition to demand accountability, reforms, and the sacking of those responsible for the failures that have hindered our progress on the international stage. Together, we can push for a better future for our athletes, our youths, and our nation.

Also speaking on the abundance of talents in Nigeria, the President of ACTDF (& founder of the African Children Talent Discovery Foundation), a non government organisation and foundation, sighted how the foundation has discovered many budding talents through their events in Kano, to do with basketball and in Lagos on football.

Engr Noah Dallaji sais, “Over the years, ACDTF had sponsored and partnered with our international stars such as JJ Okocha, Omokachi among others to produced champions. All we seek is for the government to recognise what value this industry can bring to Nigeria apart from medals but great economic values.”

Online call to action:-https://chng.it/6ntN24ms65
#NigeriaDeservesBetter
#ReformOurSectors

For more information, please contact:
[nidmecorp@gmail.com – www.nidmecorp.com]

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About Us
We are a coalition of concerned Nigerians committed to advocating for the rights and opportunities of our youths, particularly in the areas of leadership, sports and human development. Our mission is to hold our leaders accountable and to push for meaningful reforms that will improve the lives of all Nigerians.