SHAME OF A NATION

I am outraged this morning.

I mean…… if ever my country Nigeria had an incompetent Minister, Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalong is it. How on earth did we end up with a guy like him to take charge of youth affairs?

As I write our Rio Olympics-bound football team, Dream Team Six is still stranded in Atlanta. Yes, Coach Samson Siasia and his players are stranded in Atlanta. 

This is a team originally billed to depart Atlanta for Rio last Friday. Somehow, things got messed up the usual Nigerian way and the trip was re-scheduled for Monday this week. Again, the team couldn’t depart for some reason, and the trip was re-scheduled for Tuesday. 

Tuesday came and went and nothing happened. Then, somehow Wednesday was said to be it. 

Wednesday came and the team was checked out of their hotel. But guess what? No flight to take them to Rio. And the team got stranded. The team is still stranded in Atlanta even as I write this Thursday morning.

Checked out of hotel, stranded at the airport right this moment, this is a team that is supposed to play an opener in Rio against Japan in the early morning of tomorrow, Friday 5th August. 

I hear that from Atlanta to Rio de Jenairo by air takes no less than 9 hours. How on earth is Dream Team Six going to make it even if it is air-lifted out of Atlanta this moment? What time time does it have to rest, train and prepare for the match against Japan tomorrow?

How on earth did we come to this sorry pass? How come no one saw this coming? Aso Rock alone has 11 aircrafts on its fleet, how come none of them was despatched early enough to fly the team out of Atlanta?

We have over 100 men and women of substance with private jets in this country, some of them have two and three aircrafts. How come none of them is patriotic enough to come to the rescue of the team? I mean, this is our country. Our country needs help and none of this men and women could help? 

Even the so-called men of God who fly all over the world in private jets. So none of these people could rise to the occasion? 

But let me give them the benefit of doubt. It could well be that they were either not aware of the plight of the team, or that they were not contacted by relevant authorities. 

Whatever the case may be, this is a disgrace that should never have happened. And it under-scores once again the incompetence of the Sports Minister. I mean, where was he when things were going awry? Could he not have gotten across to the Presidency on emergency basis? That is assuming of course that the Presidency was ignorant of the happenings with the team.  Where were all the directors and deputy directors of the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Commission? 

And what about the Olympics Committee, the Local Organising Committee? Where were they?

Let me not bother my head with the NFF. That body perpetually in a mess. Amaju Pinnick, its president is the worst thing to happen to our football in a long long while. 

And the Nigerian Embassy in the US? Could it not have helped one way or another?

And where were all the big men and women of Aso Rock? Are Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu not keeping tabs on the goings-on with the Olympics preparation? How come this one escaped them?

No reason whatsoever is enough to explain this impending disaster. As it is, the Team is most likely going to miss its opener against Japan. That would be unprecedented in the history of sports in our country. As a former champion, the Dream Team ought to storm the Olympics event with pomp.

Everyday Nigeria continues to prove that we are a giant with feet of clay. Nothing should make heads not to roll over this international embarrassment. Enough is enough!