I got a heartfelt comment from a nodding acquaintance the other day which set me on this journey to defend my proclivity ‘for all things foreign or international’ (as he so quaintly put it).

His grievance? There is more to sports than the English Premier League. I agreed with him 100%. My new friend (for after the vehement argument, it was imperative that we part on a friendly note) wanted to know why I always write about the English or Italian League, never about the Nigerian Premier League or anything Nigerian. I told him I shared this deep concern but needed to know what my writing about sports in Nigeria (by virtue of my sheer ‘Nigerian-ness’) would achieve.

His responses to my questions provided some insight into the escapist tendencies that pervade virtually every sector of our existence and accounts for our continued dependence on divine intervention to rescue us from the absolute mess we find ourselves in, for if we cannot tell ourselves some simple truths, we will never be able to confront our issues or find solutions to them.

Glossing over issues

I argued that I have no problems writing about Nigerian sports, I am a loyal citizen and proud of my heritage, but there is so much wrong with our sports that cannot be set right by denial or glossing over our challenges to support all things Nigerian (just because we are Nigerians).

As a sports fan, a passionate sports fan for that matter, feeding my passion on a daily basis is parallel to obtaining nutrition for sustenance. I read widely about football, basketball, and tennis; even American football holds a certain attraction.

Ordinarily, I would love nothing more than to attend live football matches weekly to support my team. I would love to watch Nigerian tennis, support our athletes, attend international tournaments to cheer my team to victory, not necessarily out of mere national pride, but out of the deep passion for sports that a great proportion of the Nigerian population possess.

The unfortunate reality is that we do not have the leadership or the capacity to inspire faith, belief or the followership of millions of sports-crazy Nigerians in any sport. All we have is potential and hope, and in my estimation, hope is not a strategy.

Foreign sports

Every week without exception, I engage in the process of watching millionaire footballers trade hostilities in England, Spain or Italy. I wait with bated breath for tennis championships to commence. I do not remember the last time I missed an NBA game and like a religion, I watch re-runs of Jamaicans, Britons and Americans burning the tracks during athletics competitions.

Why?The foundations are firmly in place. The administration is organised and tournaments are well conceived and delivered. Corruption still exists in these countries, but I argue that such corruption does not attain the degree of destruction that we have managed to attain with our sports in Nigeria.

Sports in Nigeria is dead

Our Super Eagles live in the land where passion, reason and common sense do not exist (also known as the inside of Shuaibu Ahmodu’s head).

Our Flying Eagles by dint of poor preparation are currently faltering in Egypt and even though we are one month away, we still have no insight into the shape or complexion of our U-17 team. When this tournament commences next month, we would be expected to rally in support of that team.

Athletics in Berlin was a huge disgrace

What’s worse is we have no plans to correct our sporting weaknesses; we are seriously retarded learners. The administrators of our sports continue to scramble for the dregs of the ‘proverbial national cake’. Where is our sports Minis ter? Where is the blueprint for our sports development?

I simply cannot be passionate about sports organised and run by people at virtually all levels whose motivations are self serving and who have no passion for the sports they administer.

Calling a spade, a spade

Moreso,I have never been known to call a spade a soil tilling implement and so it would be difficult for me to regard Nigerian sports as anything other than a sector bursting with immense potential but being managed by thoughtless mediocre personalities who lack the basic ingredients to ignite my passion or inspire my support.

I will however continue to ‘hope’ and ‘pray’ that someday soon, we will find one messiah with the political-will, zeal and passion to at least lay the necessary foundations that will turn our sports around.