Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan has dragged the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), citing years of poor and unfair treatment. She did so via her Snapchat, revealing that the kit sent to athletes representing Nigeria was packaged in a nylon bag, while those sent to athletes from other countries came in boxes. She lamented the low quality of the kits provided to Nigerian athletes ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Funny enough, Nigeria has one of the smallest contingents of athletes at the event, yet still cannot provide quality kits. Another irony is that the money budgeted to produce that “trash” was most likely higher than what other countries spent on better kits. This is Nigeria—where budgeting often accounts for middlemen and women who siphon off “small funds” before the money gets to its final destination.
No wonder Favour Ofili switched allegiances after the AFN failed to register her twice for the Olympics, costing her eight years of her career. Even after she brought the matter to the media, they showed no remorse. Instead, officials were more concerned that she had spoken publicly, with a source in the AFN branding her as “disrespectful.”
Tobi Amusan herself is a world champion in the 100m hurdles, yet Nigeria has in no way contributed to her success. It is little wonder that most of our best athletes were not trained in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country that takes but never gives.
And when Amusan eventually wins a medal, these same officials will crawl out of hiding to call her “one of their own,” even though they contributed nothing to her achievement. Being Nigerian already puts Amusan and the rest of the athletes at a disadvantage. That is why these athletes deserve more praise for rising above a system designed to make them fail. Like I said if you are a Nigerian your chances of survival reduces by 50%