In a recent LinkedIn post, Professor Ndubuisi Ekekwe, a renowned entrepreneur and investor, commended the efforts of Nigerian athletes and their coaches at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics. While acknowledging the disappointment of not securing any medals, Professor Ekekwe emphasized the honor and dedication displayed by the athletes in representing Nigeria on the world stage.
“It is a great honor to represent your nation, and a bigger one to do that in the Olympics. Sure, it is a disappointment that we did not bring any medal home, but that does not diminish the fact that these young people served the nation,” Ekekwe stated.
Highlighting the achievements of Rena Wakama, the coach of Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, Professor Ekekwe recommended that President Bola Tinubu bestow a national honor on Wakama. “Already, she has been recognized as the best coach of women’s basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Nigeria must cement her role. This woman demonstrated the power of leadership, coaching, mentoring, and inspiring the girls to over-achieve. Losing to the US women’s basketball team does not diminish that accomplishment,” he added.
Professor Ekekwe also reflected on the broader challenges facing Nigerian sports, particularly the lack of long-term planning and support for athletes. He pointed out that nations like China and the USA are already preparing their future Olympians for the 2036 games, underscoring the need for strategic planning in Nigeria.
“Except for Edo, Delta, and Lagos, do we still have a working sports council in Nigeria? The days of Chioma Ajunwa, David Izonritei, Mary Onyali, Olabisi Afolabi, Fatima Yusuf, and many others happened, not because we recruited them from American colleges, but because Nigeria had a functioning sports council system in our state capitals,” he noted.
Professor Ekekwe called for a change in the way sports are managed in Nigeria, urging the government to provide the necessary support and facilities for athletes to succeed. He emphasized that sports is a career and should be treated with the same seriousness as other professions, despite the absence of unions like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) or the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to advocate for better conditions.
“This must change; sports is a career and even though they do not have NLC, ASUU, etc., to do strikes for better facilities and support, Nigerians must call these politicians to lead,” he concluded.
Professor Ekekwe’s reflections serve as a call to action for both the government and the public to prioritize the development of sports in Nigeria and to recognize the achievements of those who have excelled despite the odds.
Anthony Emeka Nwosu
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