After reading an article on Next, in which a Nigerian athlete won a gold medal for Qatar at the recently concluded Asian games, it appears there is a growing number of Nigerian athletes who are changing nationalities and competing for other countries, especially oil rich Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar. According to these athletes, many of them switched nationalities because they were treated poorly by Nigerian sports officials, so they had to compete for countries that appreciate them and treat them better. In the article, one of those athletes, Femi Ogunode, said that he was "unjustly dropped" from the 2008 Nigerian team that went to the Beijing Olympics. The article failed to expound on the circumstances surrounding why he was "unjustly dropped" nor state the specific events that will help the reader understand the plight of the athlete.

My  dear people of Nairaland, do you think athletes should weather the storm by staying home rather than switching their allegiance so that they can fix the problem? Do you think many of these athletes are just "money hungry" people who are putting their financial interests ahead of national interests, and who would compete for any country that gives them residency or citizenship and money? If many of these athletes leave, who will stay home to fix the problems? Do you think this situation is comparable to the "brain drain" issue, in which many of our academicians and intelligentsia have also gone offshore to seek better opportunities, the result of which is a decaying educational system at home? What do you guys think?

Below is a link to the Next article from which the idea to this topic came:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5645681-146/story.csp

who cares.

their adopted countries will still remind them they're nigerian regardless.

They don't owe you and I nothing. Wherever opportunity is go for it.
Do you expect them to lay around jobless, poor, and hopelessly waiting Nigeria to get its act right? I don't think so.

tpia@:

who cares.

their adopted countries will still remind them they're nigerian regardless.

its not only nigerians that do it, alot of other people from other african, south american and asian countries
take on dual nationalities,

and yes the countries they switch too do treat them better as sport men/women.

^^ that's ok.

nothing wrong with it.

They are not betrayers. it is purely economical (endorsements etc), fast track to citizenship of that country, more money (if you ever participated in any event for Nigeria, you'll know what I mean, promises, promises, 15 athletes, 45 officials) and better training facilities with good coaches

Do you think this situation is comparable to the "brain drain" issue

Yes, it is.

They are no more betrayers, IMO, than those Nigerians who travel abroad in search of 'greener pastures'.

Thank you all for your input. I agree with the majority consensus on this thread. I would probably do the same thing, too.