– The life expectancy for a typical Nigerian citizen is put at averagely 52 years for both male and female
– The Nigerian society lacks social safety nets to protect the vulnerable members of the society
– Corruption also plays a role in denying citizens the facilities to lead a better life
The late national team coach, Stephen Keshi was alleged to have been unappreciated by the football federation
One of my favourites sports is athletics. Throughout the month of May, I was glued to the television watching the International Athletics Federation Diamond League athletics meets held in several cities across the world.
It is always a delight watching elite athletes burning the tracks winning laurels and bringing glory to selves and country.
But that is not the main story.
My concern watching the meets is not just in the absence of Nigerians athletes competing with other world class professionals.
Indeed, many Nigerians competed in the various tournaments except that they did not wear the green and white jersey nor wave the national flag. The Nigerians who competed in the games flew the flags of their adopted countries.
File Photo: A pensioner faints while waiting for pension money
Watching the tournaments confirmed what has been a trend for some time now.
Many young Nigerian athletes and other professionals are dumping the country to realize their dreams in other climes.
At the games, I had observed how many of our athletes have taken up citizenship of other countries and proudly carrying the flags of their adopted nations.
The question that came to mind as I watched these Nigerians compete for other nations was: why are more Nigerians dumping our country for other nations?
I quite understand that it is possible to nationalize having stayed in adopted countries for some years, but the rate at which Nigerians are opting to compete for other nations point to a more underlying problem beyond just the issue of dual citizenship.
The bitter truth is: Nigerians have long lost faith in their country.
There is nowhere this tragedy is more apparent than in sports. In football, we have seen how young Nigerians are shunning the country to play for other countries.
The situation is the same for other sports. Some years ago, a celebrated Nigerian athlete, Francis Obikwelu, who had represented Nigeria in athletics later chose to run for Portugal. Born in Ontisha, Obikwelu had dumped Nigeria for good.
The news of Obikwelu’s defection was broken in 2000 by the Nigerian sprinter Mercy Nku who like Obikwelu was based in Lisbon.
Nku said Obikwelu took the decision because of neglect by Nigerian sports officials when he was injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney.
According to Nku: ‘’Obikwelu had to go to Canada to undergo an operation on his knee spending his own money.” Obikwelu became a Portuguese citizen in 2001.
Before Obikwelu, there have been several other neglected athletes, footballers, boxers and sports personalities. Many of them are wallowing in abject poverty today having been neglected by Nigerian sports authorities.
The most memorable is the sudden death of Samuel Okwaraji. Okawaraji, died playing for the national team.
For years, the hardworking play maker, who was also a qualified lawyer with masters in international law from the University of Rome collapsed and died of heart failure at a World Cup qualification match against Angola at the national stadium in 1989.
Shuaibu Amodu who also died recently was owed backlog of salaries by the Nigerian football authorities despite serving as national coach.
Since his death, the story of how his immediate family was neglected is still being told. It is sad the way Nigeria treats her heroes.
The disregard for the labour of our heroes past is the reason why Nigerians lack patriotism for the country. Yet our leaders demand patriotism and loyalty from the citizens.
How do we expect people to be patriotic when those who have dedicated their entire lives serving the nation have nothing to show for it? Consider the manner our footballers are treated for example.
For example, once a footballer is injured, the Nigerian Football Federation turns the other eye. For years, we have all grew accustomed to how our country treat the citizens.
While those who have served the country with all their ‘might’ are used and dumped, those who have stolen the country blind are celebrated and treated like royalty.
That is why today, many young Nigerians prefer to stay outside the country where their skills are better appreciated.
That is why at this year’s IAAF athletics meets; more Nigerians competed for other nations. I suspect the trend will increase as our leaders continue to place their selfish interest over the welfare of the athletes.
Nothing demonstrates the insensitivity of our country to her heroes than the death in quick succession of two of our country’s best football heroes. Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu.
Both former footballers who later became coaches of the game worked and brought glory to Nigeria football. Take the case of Amodu who coached the national team, qualified us for the World Cup and died without his entitlement being paid to him.
At his death, Amodu is still being owed by the Nigerian Football Federation. Amodu also served at the highest level as the Technical Director of our national teams.
Amodu’s cousin said at this death: “I think he (Amodu) died out of frustration because his financial status was not okay.
He was complaining of not being paid and he was having difficulties to maintain himself and his immediate family. I think the purpose of his being in Benin was to put up a bill for his payment.
He is being owed by NFF and the Edo state government.” Stephen was also owed backlog of salaries. This was despite the fact he was the first indigenous coach to win the African Nations Cup for Nigeria.
Both of men, who represent Nigeria’s best football administrators died, carrying the pain of serving an ungrateful nation to their graves.
Before he resigned early this year, Sunday Oliseh, former Nigerian Super Eagles coach, also complained about unpaid wages.
That is how Nigeria treats her citizens. It is only in Nigeria that the government will make promises and not keep them.
Many Nigerians heroes who were made promises of monetary and housing gifts are still waiting several years after. Some of them have even died while waiting for promises that will never be fulfilled.
The shabby manner we treat our sports heroes cuts across other areas of our national life.
Today in our country, pensioners who have served the country under various capacities are denied their pension.
They are living like destitute while civil servants at the Pension Boards are feeding off senior citizens sweats.
A recent landmark corruption case revealed how billions in pension fund was stolen by corrupt civil servants while ex-service men, retired civil servants queue for years and even die in the process of collecting their dues.
Sometimes I wonder if we are not chasing shadows fighting corruption. How do we expect civil servants not to be corrupt when they know the future is bleak awaits them when they retire?
When those in service are not sure of being paid their pension on retirement why won’t they steal enough for the raining day? As a country we need to begin to treat our heroes with dignity and respect. We must borrow a leaf from other countries.
A country like England celebrates their heroes both when they are alive – even posthumously.
Do our sports heroes for example have insurance cover when they become injured and can no longer compete?
What are the safety nets for those who risk their lives to protect us? When the families’ of military men who die in active service are unceremoniously thrown out of the barracks how then do we preach patriotism to those still in service?
Our leaders must appreciate our heroes when they are alive. This will encourage Nigerians to be patriotic.
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