The biggest legacy bad leadership has created is that it gives Nigerians a lame excuse which they conveniently hide behind

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) Yesterday, the 17th World Athletics Championship ended in Doha. Thanks to this 23 year national heroine Ese Brume, Nigeria ended the tournament with a medal. Tobi Amosun was unlucky not to win a medal in the women’s 100 metres hurdles too as she came fourth. Both of them really put it gutsy performances and should be highly commended for their gallantry

(2) Nigeria returns with one bronze medal, which is inexplicable for a nation of 200m people. It is time we look at ourselves in the mirror and ask why we are performing so badly. A country our size where sports is a past time for every youth should be a global sporting giant

(3) Before we start the usual blame game of saying it is the government, there is no investment, athletes are not treated well, bla, bla, bla, we should take a look at the medals table. Countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, etc that finished way above us, taking home gold medals, have far worse facilities and pay their athletes less than Nigeria does

(4) I put it to you all that Nigeria’s sports budget is higher than the combined total of Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda combined and our athletes are paid far bigger bonuses than theirs. Anyone who has been to an African sports meeting will tell you that the Nigerian contingent always has the best facilities, gets paid the highest bonuses and has professional expertise which many other participants can only dream of

(5) Do you know that Kenyan javelin thrower Julius Yego is nicknamed Mr YouTube because he learned how to throw by watching YouTube videos. Yego is the African and Commonwealth record holder for the event with a personal best of 92.72 metres. He basically taught himself how to compete with no training, coaching, physios, financial support or government backing

(6) Many of us started out like Yego, competing in school meetings with few facilities. Right up to Nuga, Nipoga and College of Education games, the sports facilities in Nigeria were minimal. That did not prevent us from producing champions on an annual basis. Now, however, we only think of financial gain and the government is a convenient excuse for what is a malaise known as national greed

(7) Emmanuel Ifeajuna became the first Black African to win a gold medal at an international sports event when he won the high jump at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. His winning mark and personal best of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) was a games record and a British Empire record at the time. Ifeajuna did not make one penny from that feat. Where has that spirit gone today I ask

(8) In 1949, the Nigerian national team the Red Devils visited England to play several friendly games. They were nicknamed the UK Tourists and the players played barefoot. It was the players’ first sea voyage and it was feared they would be sea sick on the two week journey from Lagos to Liverpool. None was sick,however and they kept fit for the tour by running several times around the ship’s deck every morning and evening. Etim Henshaw, the team’s captain, said in one interview: “We travelled third class but we were treated as first class passengers by everyone on board.”

(9) Two days after arriving in Liverpool, the Nigerian players were playing the first match of their tour against Marine Crosby Football Club. The Nigerians wore olive green jerseys and white shorts and they played with strips of white adhesive plasters around their big toes to prevent them splitting. They also wore white elastic ankle and knee supports plus green football socks with cut-off feet. Ten of the players played with their bare feet except one player, Dokubo, who wore lightly soled canvas shoes because he was used to them. There were many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from spectators when the players’ bare feet came in contact with the tough leather ball but they didn’t flinch. Len Carney, Marine Crosby’s captain, at the end of the match said “we soon found their feet were harder than our boots.” The fans urged the Marine Crosby players to take their boots off in the hopes that it would help them play as well as the barefooted Nigerians. The Nigerian team beat Marine Crosby 5-2

(10) In 1949, the Red Devil players were treated like royalty during their tour, feted everywhere with receptions and dinners in their honour. This occurred in every city and town they stayed and played. Those boys did it for the love of country. Sadly, today, everything is about money. Rather than admit that though, Nigerians chose to blame their governments. Until we recover the spirit of the UK Tourists, we will continue to do poorly at international sporting events!