Photo: Nigerians and American humanitarians watching the U.S. v Nigeria women’s basketball match
By Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq.
The recent youth-driven nationwide protests are fully understandable by all as in Nigeria even “the rich also cry” given Dangote’s refinery woes.
Prices of everything have gotten so high in Nigeria that even the right to cry is no longer affordable. Nigerians have to seek approval and the government pays people to protest against protesters.
Nigeria’s state-capture by callous lootocrats who have increased their burdens exponentially has inevitably led to this.
From an international perspective, Diaspora Nigerians estimated at 16 million in population won more medals for their adoptive countries than Nigeria with population of 200 million. That means Diaspora Nigerians scored Nigeria 6-0 in the medals table representing three continents – Europe, America and Asia.
But what is worse is that looking at this record all black female gymnasts medals sweep, you realize that black Americans and Brazilians are among Nigerians/Africans taken away centuries ago into slavery. So Nigerians taken away involuntarily hundreds of years ago to other countries and Nigerians who left voluntarily four years ago abroad have won medals for other countries but Nigeria didn’t. That means even the descendants of Yorubas in Brazil won medals making a 4th continent where Nigerians in historic DNA won medals.
I don’t think there is a sadder imagery of the hazard that Nigeria poses to Nigeria than this. Nigeria is bad for your health and progress. Simone Biles an American descendant of enslaved Africans alone has more gold medals than Nigeria has had in the last 25 years of our democracy.
Even under the corrupt Gen Abacha who stole $5Billion, Nigeria won multiple gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. This is how far we have fallen.
Annette Nneka Echikunwoke, a Nigerian-American, switched her Olympic country in 2022 becoming the first American to win the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in hammer throw category.
The saddest thing is that she had been messed up in the 2020 Olympics when Nigerian officials bungled her paperwork. But it gets worse.
Favour Ofili could not run the 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympics despite qualifying because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria & NOC failed to enter her name for the event.
Ofili qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games but didn’t get to compete as well because AFN, NADC & NOC didn’t release funds for her and 13 other Nigerian athletes to get tested.
What does this mean? Annette who learnt her lesson after being screwed up by Nigeria for poor funding in 2020 switched nationality to America and won a medal in 2024.
Favour Ofili who stood by Nigeria despite being screwed up in 2020 was again screwed up in 2024 even with funding by rank incompetence or sabotage.
This is a parable of the Nigerian youth today. You exercise, develop your skills and acquire an education only for the government to screw up your life with no jobs, opportunities to maximize your human potential and capital.
The Paris Olympics is simply an advertisement for japa!
Even as a political prisoner of Gen. Abacha during the 1996 Olympics, we derived joy in our cells as Nigeria won the men’s soccer gold and Chioma Ajioma also won in track and field. These joyous events even led to the release of myself and another political detainee by the regime.
What hope do Nigerians have when a faux democracy cannot deliver the deliverables of a brutal dictatorship 28 years ago?