THE SPUR AND APPRECIATION OF THE LONDON 2012 NIGERIA’S PARALYMPIANS’ HEROICS: It is not just about the money and National Honours but…

FLASHBACK

The London 2012 Paralympics games held between Wednesday, 29 August and Sunday, 9 September was unprecedentedly rosy for the Nigerian contingents. This is apparent in the number of medals they won this time around. Nigeria had her Paralympics debut in Barcelona 1992 where she recorded 3 gold medals with just 6 contingents taken to compete for the games. Remarkably, in London 2012, 20 years later with 29 athletes in the Paralympics, Nigeria clinched 6 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze medals. 

This upward improvement by the Paralympian of Nigeria is one that should be continually motivated by the Nigerian government and other stakeholders involved in not just the Paralympics but sports in general.

As against the Olympic contingents that overtime, since the Atlanta 1996 breathtaking performance of Chioma Ajunwa and the Olympic football team that had a dwindling performance, on the flip side, the Paralympians have been what I dub; Nigeria’s last hope for medals glory, a notion they have since remarkably fulfilled.

Sequel to the victory by the Paralympians in London 2012, the ₦ 5million, ₦ 3 million and ₦ 2 million reward to the Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists respectively, added to the Member of the Order of Niger National Honours conferred on the gold medalists, not forgetting the ₦500, 000 given to the athletes with no medal, the government of Goodluck Jonathan deserves a round of applause and a commendation unmatched. This is due to the fact that this is the first time that such magnitude of rewards is given to the Paralympics athletes. 

However, more needs to be done to address the plights of these athletes, not just a short term address but a long term address. This is what this work will shed light on.

The subsequent part of this work will be guided by the following headings;

*Reasons for the continued uptrend in the performance of the Paralympians

* The Drive of the Paralympians is beyond money and National Honours

Reasons for the continued uptrend in the performance of the Paralympians:

Due to the level of rejection and dejection that most disabled people in Nigeria suffer, sports as a means to an end is one that the Paralympians efficiently employ by giving the games 100% attention. This is despite the unfriendly training and preparatory conditions they undergo while preparing for the games. For example according to punchng.com, even with their disability, the team did not get the best support during the games as some of the athletes reportedly were not given any allowance. The athletes even complained that their kits were inadequate for the games. 

This suggests that the athletes having a remarkable outing in London 2012 is not because they were adequately and rightly aided by the government but because they (the Paralympians), against all odds gave the preparations for the games their all. 

Irrespective of there being a Paralympics event going on or not, added to the inadequate training facilities, the athletes have proven to inherently possess an unprecedented self motivation to tenaciously devote all their attention to their training sessions.

With these reasons stated above, one question rings my mind as thus; what will be the performance of the Paralympians if they are given a more encouraging response by the government and all stakeholders involved in Special Sports? The answer, flawless!

With the flawlessness in the performance of the Paralympians of Nigeria, there is need for a continued and upward trend in the attention given to these heroic athletes, an upward trend that will lead to a performance upward trend from the athletes.

All these said, the Care for Paralympians is beyond money and National Honours, will be discussed next.

The Drive of the Paralympians is beyond money and National Honours:

 

This section boils down to the fact that the monetary rewards meted to all athletes, added to the Member of the Order of Niger National Honours conferred on the 6 Gold medalist though commendable and encouraging, is not enough to get these athletes continuously unprecedentedly encouraged to bring more National glory to them. 

To this end, it is pivotal to highlight that the ₦ 5million, ₦ 3 million, ₦ 2 million and ₦ 500, 000 given to the athletes with regards to their various performances will in no time finish. This is attributed to the fact that these athletes, apart from being from poor backgrounds, have people that financially depend on them and with these huge financial burdens to cater for, the monetary rewards which seems much is really very small.

It is for this reason that it is not just about the money and National Honours but…

1. The Provision of Accommodation: Most of these athletes are from poor backgrounds and as such may not have the funds to get good apartments and homes.

The Paralympians are not just representatives of Nigeria at the special sports but are Super Stars and should be treated as one. This said, it is pivotal for the government to provide accommodation for these athletes, as it will go a long way in easing their burden.

A good example is the case of Murtala Ibrahim who died in the National Stadium Lagos. As reported by the Punch, the Stadium was made his home for many years. Obviously, the reason behind this is not because he so much loved the stadium due to his love for sports but, because he didn’t have the money to afford a place he could call his home.

Murtala Ibrahim won silver medals in all 3 Paralympic games he participated in, thus Barcelona 1992, Atlantic 1996 and Sydney 2000.

Sadly, it was also reported that “security men at the stadium told News Agency of Nigeria… that Ibrahim, was among the many people that had made the stadium their place of residence.” This is simply pathetic. 

2. Extending the “best legacy” responsibility: Education they say is the best legacy. This I posit accounts for why the government should take up the responsibility of sponsoring the education of the Paralympians children. With the experience of Murtala as stated earlier, other Paralympians may not be able to send their children to school, added to meeting other basic needs. It is for this reason that I opine that the government taking up this responsibility to ensure that their (Paralympians) kids are sent to school will be a strong propelling force to bring hope to not just the Paralympians but other disabled athletes and indeed, propel many more to take part in Sports, thereby discovering more talents in special sports that will bring much more glory to the nation, added to getting the future of the nation brighter as the level of education in any country is one of the many approaches used to measure the advancement of a nation.

These two major responsibilities stated, it is paramount to point out that the Federal government should not be left alone in getting them done. The State government of these athletes home state, added to the private sector should also be actively involved. 

Each of these athletes, though represented the nation as a whole, are also indigenes of certain states which entails that the various states they originate from should also partake in ensuring that they are well catered for. 

In addition, the private sector should be involved. This will be a phenomenon act of corporate social responsibility on their part. A commendable organization in this respect is Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited. In the report by the Punch on October 1, 2012, “Paralympic have been showered with gift items by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited when they hosted them to a two-day event in Lagos.”

This rightly done, I want to believe that this is not the first time a private organization is taking up the responsibility of appreciating the Paralympians but if it is, then Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited doing this has no doubt opened doors for many more private organizations and Multi-National companies  do likewise.

With the Federal Government, State Governments and Private sectors actively involved in what I call the division of responsibility to care for the Paralympians in line with the 2 earlier suggested added areas of encouragements and responsibility, special sports will be one area of immense contribution to the progress of the nation but if not assiduously executed in a heartfelt manner, the words of power-lifting coach, Aare Feyisetan, which was reported by punchng.com, as thus “in another five years, I can see a gold medalist begging on the streets,” could be looming.

I pray this doesn’t happen and for this reason call on these stakeholders earlier mentioned to take up this challenge.

Benefits of all stakeholders involved in caring for the Paralympians

1.         It will be easier for all to stakeholders to activelyplay their different roles in turning  around the plights of the Paralympians.

2.         Through the collective role by these stakeholders, many disabled people (not the athletes   but those on the streets) will be discouraged from begging as they will see sports as a means to an end.

3.         Most importantly, there will be a better perception of the government and the private        establishments, and as thus, they will be better appreciated by all.

4.         The paralympians will perceive themselves as stars that they really are. This is due to the    fact that having such a collective attention only shows how special they are.

5.         It will be a sign and strength on the part of the government to show that the nation is one that provides the best environment and encouragement for one to thrive, irrespective of ones physical condition.

 

In my last words, the continuous care for the Paralympians cannot be overemphasized because it is not just about the money and National Honours awards but getting them continuously propelled.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Image source: google image

 

Four paralympians kissing their medals at a reception organized in their honour.

DISCLAIMER

Asides the references which were used as practical examples, this work was carried out by the writer without being researched. It is however pivotal to point out that the points, suggestion, phrases and entirety of the write up are stated from the ideas of the writer.

Plagiarism is utterly frowned at. If the words and illustrations pointed out are to be adopted in subsequent works by other individuals, encompassing an extraction or a further build up on this work or in the course of a lecture/seminar delivery, referencing the writer will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

 Taiwo, Kehinde Oluwaseyi

References

Busari, K., “London 2012 Paralympians, a team like no other.” The Punch 9 Sep. 2012. 10 Oct. 2012. <www.punchng.com/london-paralympic-games-2012/london-2012-paralympians-a-team-like-no-other/> 

Busari, K “Paralympians get Shell gifts” The Punch 1 Oct. 2012. 10 Oct. 2012<http://www.punchng.com/sports/paralympians-get-shell-gifts/>

 

The Punch (17 July 2012) Paralympian dies at national Stadium. 59

Adepegba, A,  Adetayo, O and Olokor, F (18 Sep. 2012) …Applause for paralympians. The Punch. 2