Twelve years in the past, Nigeria, our pricey homeland, had what I regarded as a disastrous consequence on the 2012 Olympics. I wrote the next, pondering – vainly because it has turned out to be – that that embarrassment would lead us to a rethink in the way in which we organise ourselves. Alas! we have now even retrogressed additional, twelve years later! That article, rendered beneath, now virtually seems like a prophecy! But, I’m no prophet. Our ends in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics may be predicted now by anybody accustomed to our approach of doing issues!
If the watching of international soccer matches may be made into an Olympics occasion, I’m certain Nigeria would have gotten some medals on the final Olympics. Sadly for us, medals got to nations that developed their folks relatively than those that specialise on the consumption of the merchandise of different, pondering folks. There are nonetheless extra Olympics to return sooner or later. There are a number of methods to proceed scoring zero in these video games. We will discover a few of them right here.
Enterprise as common. Whereas different nations spend as much as ten years catching their athletes at a really younger age and growing them, a nation that desires to attain zero will wait until there just a few months left; Go after these of their countrymen and ladies who’ve lengthy deserted their fatherland to sojourn in different lands however weren’t sufficiently good to fulfill the workforce listing in these nations; current these rejects as your Olympic workforce.
Ignore the event of major and secondary college sports activities services. Within the Sixties when international missionaries ran our faculties, a major college compound had a college subject lined with race tracks; a climate station, Nature Research corners at school rooms; stocked college libraries. At the moment, governors boast of achievements as soon as they’ve put roofs on 4 partitions for lecture rooms on naked earth and everybody is anticipated to clap! There was aggressive conferences amongst secondary faculties from the AAA meets to Ionian Cup within the West and the Principals Cup in Lagos. To get zero within the subsequent Olympics, refuse to develop these services.
Ignore confirmed specialists within the respective areas and appoint occasion apparatchiks, Political cronies, kids, wives and different relations of governors and presidents (incumbent or former), and so on into severe positions. Pay extra consideration to the welfare of officers whereas neglecting that of the particular sportsmen and ladies who’re those that may win medals.
Depend upon good luck to run governments when different individuals are utilizing scientific strategies and availing themselves of all that have and empirical proof may give. Praying fervently for miracles after you may have left undone what belongings you should have achieved.
Refuse to regulate the tutorial curricula in order that particular sporting actions and growth programmes can earn credit in secondary and tertiary establishments.
Enable Outdated stadia similar to Nationwide Stadium in Lagos to rot whereas searching for cash for brand spanking new mega tasks.
There are extra issues to do (or to depart undone) to reach on the identical finish. It’s time once more for Nigeria to decide on. Rio 2016 is nearer at hand that it seems. A sew in time …
Ọmọtayọ Fakinlede is a professor of Computational Mechanics on the College of Lagos.
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