Athletes on the run — from uncaring nation - Abiodun Raufu

When Nigeria held trials to pick athletes to represent the west Africa nation in
one of the world’s most prestigious athletic events, two key competitors were conspicuously absent.

Gloria Alozie, Nigeria’s foremost hurdler and silver medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
and Francis Obikwelu, the nation’s 100 and 200 metres sprint champion, dumped Nigeria
for their newly adopted countries mere weeks before the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF)
world championship in Edmonton, Canada.

Their departure is not unique among African athletes: Canadian immigration officials are sorting through
the refugee claims of 106 athletes and artistes — mostly from Africa — who chose not to return home
after the 10-day Francophone Games ended in Ottawa on July 24.

Both Obikwelu’s defection to Portugal and Alozie’s decision to acquire Spanish nationality
have stunned Nigerians. They have also spurred some timely introspection.

Alozie was embittered by the shabby treatment of her late fiance, Hyginus, by
Nigerian sports officials at the Sydney Olympics last year.

Hyginus, a sprinter who failed to make the Nigerian Olympic team, travelled with the squad to
Sydeny to give Alozie moral support. But Nigerian officials did not allow him to stay with the
contingent, infuriating Alozie and sparking a well-publicised row in the Nigerian press.

Hyginus was later killed in a hit-and-run road accident in Sydney and the initial reluctance of
Nigerian officials to pay to fly his body back home further angered Alozie.

Despite her grief, she went on to win silver in the 110m hurdles. But by then,
she had decided to abandon her country of birth.

On June 29 Alozie was granted Spanish citizenship and she jumped at the offer to run under Spain’s national colours.

Alozie’s decision — revealed a week later by sports officials — upset friends and stunned Nigerians.

“She was not made in Spain but here in Nigeria,” said Amelia Edet, chief coach with the
Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and close friend. “Her exit is a challenge to us to work hard
and produce another world-class athlete.”

Coach Gad Onumaegbu, who trained her for the Sydney Olympics, was more sympathetic.
“Has she not tried for this country?” he said. “As a Nigerian, I feel bad about her decision.
But what can I do? Nothing.”

The dust raised by Alozie’s defection had not quite settled when the report came of
Obikwelu’s decision to run for Portugal.

The news was broken in July by Nigerian sprinter Mercy Nku, who like Obikwelu is
based in Lisbon. She said Obikwelu took the decision because of neglect by Nigerian
sports officials when he was injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney.

“Do you know that Francis Obikwelu was left alone to take care of the injury he
sustained in the Sydney Olympics?” Nku said. “he had to go to Canada to undergo
an operation on his knee spending his own money.”

Nku said she had also been invited to change nationality by a number of European countries and,
she added, the incentives are tempting. “But I have made up my mind not to take off,”
she promised. “I love Nigeria and will remain here.” (Suffer head )

Yet Nku was quick to add that life is difficult for Nigerian athletes.

“We are most of the time neglected,” she said. “Some officials even claim that we make so
much money and so do not need government assistance, which is really not true.
Corporate bodies here do not in any way assist athletes, even with the abundance of talents.”

Nigerian long jumper Angus Bodunde agrees, but unlike Nku he would
change citizenship if he had the chance. (Sharp guy, but unfortunately not known )

“If I have the opportunity to travel out, I will grab it, and I will prefer the USA or Britain,”
Bodunde said. “My first task, if I get to any of these two countries,
will be to start the process of becoming a citizen.

“Nigeria as a country is killing sports,” he added. Some observers even blame
President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

“Nigerian athletes are used to cash awards from government before, during and after
major competitions,” said Funmi Erinle, editor of Sporting Tribune, a sports weekly newspaper
based in Ibadan, Nigeria. But since 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo became President,
all that has stopped and the defections have simply increased.”

There have been defections earlier as well. Basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon took American
citizenship in 1993 to represent the USA at the Olympics. He is now a star player in the
National Basketball League (NBA), the top professional basketball league in North America.

David Dafiagbon, a promising Nigerian amateur boxer who won gold in the Commonwealth
Games for Nigeria, changed nationality in 1995 to represent Canada at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta,
where he won a silver medal for his new country. In 1999, Nigerian wrestler Daniel Igali followed in
Dafiagbon’s footsteps when he went on to win gold for Canada at the Sydney Olympics.

It was the same story for Emmanuel Olisadebe, a relatively unknown Nigerian footballer
until he joined a club in Poland. He immediately became the toast of Polish soccer fans and
was persuaded to play for the Polish national soccer team. He agreed and was granted Polish citizenship.
Today, Olisadebe’s crucial goals are the main reason why Poland is likely to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Adeniyi Adesina, a sports writer with The Punch newspaper in Lagos, blames the defections on
“lack of policy on how to take care of the athletes’ future even when they are poorly compensated while still active”.

“Nigerian sports are still not run transparently,” he said. “It is full of policy somersaults as a result
of lack of focus on how to manage and reward performance and to develop sports.”

Former AFN President Oluyomi Adeyemi-Wilson said one of the means of stemming the exodus is to offer welfare packages to athletes.

“When athletes are assured of a brighter future,” he said, “they will not run away.” — Gemini News

we love nigeria but she doesn't care.

Let them go and run for heaven, Nigeria is Nigeria.

whiteroses:

we love nigeria but she doesn't care.

And U didn's stay huh?

bolaoni please what does i did't say huh means.
i'm still waiting repley now thanks

AND U DIDN'T STAY!

now i get it

"Nigerian long jumper Angus Bodunde agrees, but unlike Nku he would
change citizenship if he had the chance. (Sharp guy, but unfortunately not known )"

u will know him once other countries train him and give him what he needs to do his job properly

Hmm