Golden nothing for team nigeria by Jide Alaka

The 2012 London Olympics has come to an end, and
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, did not
manage to win anything in London!
That said and done, we are back to the oft mentioned
phrase; "we will start preparing now for the next
edition", but I will say we have heard that before –
please inundate us with a more original phrase.
In times past, especially at the Nations Cup where we
have become customary third place winners,
Nigerian administrators, for wont of a better
qualification for the dismal outing, labelled the
bronze finish as the ‘Golden Bronze’.
Now that we have embarrassed ourselves thoroughly
in London, I am waiting for the excuses, if any will be
given considering the speech by the Minister of
Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi last week in London.
“We shall therefore not attempt any excuses or
indulge in any unproductive blame game. Rather
than see this as a failure, we must see it as an
opportunity to rebuild,” said the minister.
This we have also heard before, specifically after the
1988 Seoul Olympics where we also failed abysmally.
The minister also tried to compare Nigeria’s sports
administrators with British administrators who, after
a shameful outing at the 1996 Olympics, went back
to the proverbial drawing board and came up with a
plan which has ultimately fetched them 29 gold
medals in their backyard. But that is the British, not
Nigerians!
While I sincerely believe that the minister means
well, I beg to ask where the sports administrators
are, who will devise a plan for Nigeria to do better in
Rio de Janeiro in four years’ time.
Although, he also said that, “This is our chance. We
can also do it. We must see this crisis as the
necessary disequilibrium required for serious actions
and drastic change. We will not allow this
opportunity to pass."
When countries like Trinidad and Tobago, and
Grenada won their first gold medals, we are thinking
about going back to a drawing board that is devoid of
any drawing paper.
Though I want to believe that something can or may
be done to make the situation better in Rio, I believe
instinctively that this time in 2016, we might be
talking about ‘Golden Nothing’ just like it happened
in London!