Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, has attributed Nigeria’s failure to secure a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics to what he describes as “reckless” and “rascally” leadership across various sectors in the country.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Mr Obi expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of Team Nigeria despite the significant financial investment in the Olympic effort. “Now that the Paris Olympics 2024 has officially ended and our dear Team Nigeria, despite the huge financial investment made into the project, is returning without a single medal, let me unreservedly register my displeasure with the performance of our team and their handlers,” Mr Obi said.
He further criticised the pervasive “rascality and recklessness” in Nigerian leadership, asserting that the country is perceived as a “joke” on the international stage.
Mr Obi highlighted the disparity in spending between Nigeria and other nations, noting that Jamaica, with a fraction of Nigeria’s budget, secured six medals.
“How can one explain that a country like Jamaica spent less than 5 per cent of what we spent on our contingents for the Paris Olympics 2024 and won as many as six medals?” Mr Obi questioned.
“At least nine African countries won gold, but the giant, with over 200 million people, came home without even a bronze! We invested about N12 billion in this year’s Olympics, which is almost twice the amount budgeted for the entire Ministry of Science and Technology for this year.”
He condemned Nigeria’s preference for “routine and favouritism” over “competence and capacity,” alleging that some injured athletes, unfit to compete, were in Paris collecting allowances from national resources. He also accused sports officials of exploiting the situation for personal gain.
On Saturday, President Bola Tinubu’s administration also voiced disappointment at Team Nigeria’s failure to win medals at the Olympics, calling for reforms to enhance leadership in sports administration.
Minister of Sports John Enoh said this in a statement on his official X page, describing the performance as “disappointing” and advocating for necessary reforms in the sports sector.
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