Hot SourceDuro Ikhazuagbe
Nigeria clocked 65 years as an independent nation yesterday . It was a day that Nigerians celebrated with fanfare. A day that we recall with joy in our hearts, how our founding fathers gave their all to ensure that we gained independence from our colonial masters. It is not by error that we are the biggest black nation on earth. It was eternally designed that different tribes will come together to form Nigeria. And we have lived together as one, irrespective of our different cultures and languages. Our strength, it is generally believed, lies in our diversity. A country of over 220 million people ought to be the best in virtually all spheres of life. For the purpose of this piece, we will limit our discourse to the Sports Sector.
At inception in the 1960, Nigeria had great promise. We had top athletes that distinguished themselves, right from the Empire Games. Six years before our independence, Emmanuel Ifeajuna became the first black African to win gold at a multi-sports competition. His high jump gold was celebrated and it became the tonic for the new nation when the independence came in 1960.
From Boxing to track & field and football, Nigeria had them. We had men and women who matched some of the best athletes in the world. Names like Dick Tiger (Richard Ihetu), Nojeem Maiyegun, Jimmy Omagbemi, Abdul Kareem Amu, Sam Igun, Smart Akraka, Violet Odogun-Nwajei, Modupe Oshikoya and several others too many to mention, took the world by storm, winning medals at both the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the All Africa Games. Maiyegun is on record as the first Nigerian to win an Olympic medal- a bronze at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Dick Tiger won his first World Middleweight title and then moved up to also win the World Light Heavyweight crown. He became instant hero. Although Igun didn’t win an Olympic medal but ruled the high jump and the triple jump at the All Africa Games and the Commonwealth Games. The others may not have made significant strides like Maiyegun and Igun, they made Nigeria household name in track and field.
In the later years into 1970s and 1980s, Nigeria was never in want of sporting heroes. Nigerians ruled track and field with the bulk of the athletes, products of a system put in place by such administrators as Isaac Akioye, Jimmy Omagbemi, Amu, and several others. It was a programmed school sports system that was churning out athletes in all spheres. Sending Nigerian talents to the American Collegiate ensured we never lacked quality athletes. That was how the Bruce Ijirigho, Charlton Ehizuelen, Felix Imadiyi, etc came up and were on the verge of winning gold medals at the Montreal Olympics before Nigeria led other African countries to boycott the Games due to involvement of apartheid South Africa in that edition.
And of course our football team had Mathematical Segun Odegbami, Christian Chukwu and several others in that 1976 Olympic squad. They were not from the American Collegiate system but products of robust sports and academic fusion in the country.
It was not until 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games that Nigeria won a first track bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay that had the likes of Sunday Uti, Moses Ugbusien, Rotimi Peters and Innocent Egbunike. Peter Konyegwachie went a step higher than Maiyegun, winning a silver medal in the feather weight division. Four years later, Nigeria failed to win any medal at Seoul ‘88. Instead, it was catalogue of issues bothering on officials going crazy shopping. It was nothing better than the 1980 Games in Moscow that was characterized by sex scandal. Barcelona ‘92 in Spain revealed Nigeria as the next power house in track and field next to Team USA. Of the eight men in the 100m final, Nigeria had Olapade Adeniken and Davidson Ezinwa in that race. Although they didn’t make the podium, they sure portrayed the growing influence of Nigeria in the sprint. Mary Onyali was in that final in the women’s version. Although she missed the podium but made up with the likes of Beatrice Utondu, Faith Idehen, Christy Opara-Thompson and Mary Onyali-Omagbemi to win a precious bronze medal with a national record in the 4x100m relay. David Izonritei won a silver in boxing Heavyweight.
But it was not until Atlanta ‘96 that Chioma Ajunwa won Nigeria’s first individual gold medal in the women’s long jump event. Nigeria’s Dream Team led by irrepressible Kanu Nwankwo, Sunday Oliseh, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, The Babayaro Brothers, Celestine and Emmanuel, Joseph Dosu, Mobi Oparaku, Teslim Fatusin, Taribo West, Uche Okechukwu and several others did the unimaginable, beating almighty Brazil and Argentina to win the Olympic Men’s Football Gold for the first time by an African nation. Four years later Down Under in Australia, quarter milers like Sunday Bada, Jude Monye, Clement Chukwu, Enefiok Udo-Obong, Fidelis Gadzama and Nduka Awazie won a precious silver medal that eventually became gold following the disqualification of Team USA because Antonio Pettigrew confessed to been on dope when they won the gold. Former Nigerian athletes Gloria Alozie overcame the death of her fiancé to win a silver medal in the 100m hurdles. There were a few other medals in other sports but the relay medal was the icing on the cake because of the manner Udo-Obong ran the race of his life to make it possible. Udo-Obong
was again in the 1600m relay team that won a bronze at Athens four years later. After Athens, Nigeria’s medals have been coming in trickles. Beijing 2008 fetched Nigeria a silver in men’s football while Blessing Okagbare got elevated to silver in the women’s long jump. London 2012 was bad news. Rio 2016 was a little better as John Mikel Obi and his Dream Team salvaged a bronze medal in the men’s football. Blessing Oborududu and Ese Brume got to the podium, winning silver and bronze in the wrestling and long jump respectively at Covid-19 Tokyo 2020. Paris 2024 was a total disaster like London 2012.
Despite the failure in the Olympics in recent times, Tobi Amusan put Nigeria in world map at the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Oregon, USA. She set a world record of 12.12secs in the 100m hurdles. Same year, she led Nigerian track and field team to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games for a near total clean out of medals in the track.
But Nigerian sports aficionados are quick to insist that yes, all that we did in the past stays in memories. Yes, we have won AFCON three times; Super Falcons have won AWCON 10 times; Golden Eaglets are the record holder of five U17 World Cup titles. Those achievements, Nigerians insisted belong to the past. They are using the street lingo: I get am before nor be property! They cannot understand how a country that produced the Super Eagles team that was rated fifth best team in the world at their debut at USA ‘94 World Cup is going to miss a second mundial back-to-back! Nigerians consider qualifying for the World Cup as a birth right. Since USA ‘94, we were there in France ‘98, Korea/Japan 2002, missed Germany 2006, went to the first World Cup in the continent in 2010 in South Africa, qualified for Brazil 2014 and Super Eagles were in action at Russia ‘2018. But the bubble burst for the 2022 edition hosted by Qatar. Eagles lost the ticket right in front of our eyes to Ghana in Abuja. There were long speeches that it will never happen again. When the fixtures for the qualifying series of 2026 edition to be hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada were released, the Group C that had Nigeria paired along with Lesotho, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Benin Republic and South Africa was considered a walk in the park for Eagles. However, with just two games to round up the qualifiers next month, Nigerians have resorted to using calculators to know if Eagles will qualify directly or go through the tortuous journey of inter-continental playoffs. South Africa were leading the pack until FIFA ducked three points from their 17 points. Now the Bafana Bafana are on same 14 points as Benin Republic coached by the same Gernot Rohr that we sacked as an incompetent gaffer. Nigeria and Rwanda are on same 11 points. Should South Africa win their remaining two games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda, they will finish with 20 points. Benin may not be able to match South Africa as they are likely to lose their fixture against Nigeria. If they win the other game, they will end up with 17 points. The highest Eagles can finish is 17 points. This is the dilemma that Ibrahim Gusau and his NFF board members are facing as Nigerians wait with arms akimbo, watching the drama that will happen. Can Nigeria miss a second World Cup? Are the Super Eagles going to perform the eight wonders of the earth, to pick the direct qualification ticket or will be amongst the four teams to qualify to play the playoff? Perhaps, we wait to see if this wonder will be the 65th anniversary gift that Super Eagles have in hiding for Nigeria.
