Archery: Future, Bright For Africa – Alapini

IKPO IGBINOBA/Lagos 

Alapini

What could have compelled a man to leave the United Kingdom where everything is working and living is a pleasant experience and come to Nigeria where nothing is working and living is a daily torment?
The question becomes more pertinent when the man leaves his family  in the United Kingdom and creates a social disruption in his own life.
Don’t attempt to solve the puzzle because the man Ladipo Alapini, one of Nigeria’s top archers explained why he took such an unpopular decision.
Speaking with PM Express, the archer and certified Level One archery coach revealed he abandoned the United Kingdom to build a future where  Nigerians and Africans would dominate the sport of archery.
Expectedly, it was difficult for Alapini to convince those close to him that he was taking the right step.
Going back to Nigeria because of archery, a sport that is not quite popular? It sounds ridiculous. And that was how his wife felt.
“My wife thought something was wrong with me”, Alapini recalled. “She protested
but then her opposition was feeble, because she has always known me to take decisions which defy logic.”   Alapini narrated how he came about the decision to return to his homeland.
“I started archery in 2015 in Ireland. Between 2015 and 2017, I had attended fifty competitions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. What I found curious at those championships was the very loud absence of Africans. In fact in my fifty outings, I encountered only one African.  For an African worth his salt and coming from Africa’s most populous country, I considered the anomaly a huge challenge. And how do I respond to this challenge? I must return to Nigeria and begin to develop a future where Nigerians and indeed Africans would dominate archery.”
Since November, Alapini has pursued his dream with single-minded determination fuelled by his belief that Nigeria would rule the sport in future.
He asserts “Nigeria is well positioned to rule archery in the future. We are not just having a huge population of 200 million people but more than half of this population are youths full of positive energy. So we are blessed with the human resource”
Alapini has been grooming future champions at his Lekki Archers Club since November. How has his experience been?
“It has been quite challenging and also very interesting. When I opened the club, I was not charging fees. At that point, the attendance was huge, with a hundred people turning up on some days. But when I introduced fees, the crowd disappeared and only six persons remained”.
Alapini admits it is a challenge not having enough fee-paying students to take care of even the running costs. But he is not deterred.
“What I get in terms of fees is a fraction of my running cost but I am happy about the progress made so far. My pioneer students, (six of them)will graduate on March 27. A new set of ten persons has registered. So we are progressing”.
Alapini is not giving up even though he is running the club at a huge loss.  He declared “No, I’ll never give up because I am not making money now. Someone must take a step and pay the prize for things to work”. He described the challenge as gestation and stressed “The future is bright not just for my club but for archery in Nigeria and even Africa. I believe once we set the process in motion here in Nigeria, the whole of the continent would get involved and we will be a major power in the sport”.
Alapini will join the Nigerian team to the 4th Archery Grand Prix taking place in Abidjan from March 28 to April 2.