IKPO IGBINOBA/Lagos
Sports minister, Solomon Dalung
Nigerian athletes and coach who defected after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have received support from unusual quarters-Sports Ministry officials who were part of the Australia party.
The Nigerian contingent returned from Australia in three batches with some of the athletes and a coach defecting.
The exact number of defectors is kept as top secret by the Sports Ministry.
One official blasted those vilifying the athletes for refusing to return to Nigeria after the twelve-day Games
“Those blaming the youngsters and the coach for staying back in Australia are the villains while the defectors are heroes”.
The official who revealed that the number of defectors is more than the three declared by the Ministry of Sports said government rather than the athletes should be blamed.
According to him “The government should be blamed for the coach and athletes’ defection.
” Today in Nigeria, there is no future for sportsmen and sportswomen. There are no jobs for them, no competitions and no modern facilities to train with”.
The official who was visibly angry further revealed “Only three states in the federation employ athletes, and they are Edo, Delta and Rivers”.
“The other states only recruit athletes on contract basis just for the purpose of competing for them in the National Sports Festival, a biennial event which was last held in 2012”.
He asked “With this bleak scenario, why should an athlete with a big dream remain around”?
Another official hailed the run-away athletes for their decision and noted “Their decision will pay off very soon because as sportsmen and women, Australia offers the best opportunity for them to flourish.
“Truth be told, there is no future for any sportsman in Nigeria. Australia will transform these athletes into world beaters in their respective sports in just a few years”
The official emphasised that Nigerian athletes would continue to defect “for as long as the sports authorities continue to pay lip service to sports development”
He stressed “I am an insider as a member of staff in the Sports Ministry. Nigerian sports are in total shambles.
“There is nothing like development in the ministry’s agenda. All they are concerned about is attending Games, like the All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.”
“These games provide avenues for ministry officials to make money through bloated budgets and estacode.”.
A third official described the decision by the athletes and the coach as “a step in the right direction”.
“They have dumped the difficult and hellish conditions they were exposed to in Nigeria for Australia,a society where everything works. They want to live better lives”.
“For instance, the coach who defected is in the employ of a state which is owing its workers over 11 months in salaries.
“So why must anybody begrudge this coach for deciding to settle for a better life in Australia?
The official added “those defectors won’t only be useful to themselves but their families and even the country”.
Defection of athletes is a common occurrence among athletes from sub-Sahara Africa when they attend games and international championships in developed economies in Europe and the Americas.
In the Gold Coast Games, eight Cameroonian athletes bolted away from the Games Village before the commencement of the games.