*Mourns ex-Rangers legends, loss of lives during hunger protests
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The 2023 presidential standard bearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has berated Nigeria’s sports leadership for the disastrous outing by Nigeria in the just-ended 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Nigeria finished with no medal after putting in billions of naira, where nine African countries won medals.
Obi, however, eulogised two Nigerian footballers and Ex-Rangers football Club legends, Stanley Okoronkwo and Harrison Mecha, where he joined other sports lovers in service of songs in Enugu last Thursday.
At the same time, he has expressed sadness over the loss of lives during the just-concluded #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests against hunger and hardship.
Also, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has rebuked the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdukadir Mohammed, for castigating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over the recent nationwide protest, which later turned violent, particularly in the Northern part of the country.
However, in a statement by his media aide Dr. Tanko Yunusa, Obi said, “Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 has officially ended, and our dear Team Nigeria, despite the huge financial investment made into the project, is returning without a single medal, may I sincerely register my displeasure with the rascality and recklessness that has continued to characterise leadership in our nation, which often portrays our country as a joke, even on the international stage?
“How can one explain that a country like Jamaica spent less than 5% of what we spent on our contingents for the Paris Olympics 2024 and won as many as 6 medals, and with our huge financial investments, we could not win even a singular medal? At least, nine African countries won gold but the giant with over 200m people came home without even a bronze.
“We invested about N12 billion into this Olympics, which is almost twice the amount budgeted for the entire Ministry of Science and Technology for this year’s budget. This is over N136 million (about $85,000) spent on each of the 88 Nigerian contingents to the Olympics, and no singular medal was won while Jamaica, a nation which spent far less than we did, a total of about $2300 on each contingent, won 6 medals; 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze at the Olympics. We must now question how we made this huge investment, without getting any returns.
“Sad stories like these are only obtainable because we have refused to embrace competence and capacity over favouritism in Nigeria,” he said.
Praising Stanley Okoronkwo and Harrison Mecha, Obi said, “I have consistently advised that such heroes who have made positive impacts in our nation and contributed to our development by utilising their talents and skills be celebrated and appreciated.
“Celebrating such heroic personalities will awaken in our younger generation, the passion to contribute to societal development. Both Okoronkwo and Mecha were football heroes who distinguished themselves in the field of play and contributed to the growth of our sports sector,” he said.
On the recent protest, Obi, in a series of posts on his X account on Sunday, said the sacrifices of the deceased and those still alive who had participated in the protests, were not in vain.
“With the #Endbadgovernance protests officially concluded yesterday, I want to once again express my deepest condolences to all who have lost their lives, including the security personnel, during these protests.
“These individuals gave their lives while advocating better governance in our nation. I extend my heartfelt sympathies to all the families who have suffered losses in this struggle. We all share in your grief, as we work together for the betterment of our country.”
Meanwhile, Dogara, in a press release titled: “On Governor Bala Mohammed’s Latest Trade and Truculent Buffoonery”, criticised the governor’s comments on the economic policies of Tinubu.
“It is certainly not a time to engage in blowing all the dog whistles at once in the irresponsible manner Governor Bala Mohammed did. For me, it didn’t come as a surprise because I had long ago, both in writing and on live TV, denounced him as a thug who speaks in the manner of thugs and understands only the language of thuggery.
“No doubt these are trying moments in Nigeria; with lots of nerves in the air and lots of spiting into the political wind. The job of leaders irrespective of the political tribe they belong to is to ensure that we bring this crisis to a responsible end by appealing to governments at all levels to scramble to meet some of the legitimate demands of the protesters, most especially, hunger and pervasive insecurity in the national interest.
“I am penning these lines to further disavow him and to tell those who don’t know that, although Governor Bala Mohammed is one of us, he is not all of us. Bauchi State is home to tested leaders who were not raised like mushrooms and who will not dare speak or operate in a manner that reveals contempt for rules, precedent, order, stability and national cohesion. But Governor Bala Mohammed does not only do so, he thrives in it,” he said.
