Can any human being be certain when a goat gets angry? No, it’s not about instigating such observation rather it is about how the animal deals with everyday bondage its’ been subjected to. Bondage living is a situation whereby an individual has no control over his or her liberty because others predetermine it, arguably a slave mentality coupled with useless and meaningless human rights enshrined in a country’s constitution. This writer asks what the effective value of human rights is when societal necessaries diminish such rights.
An average athlete has freedom of liberty, right to free speech and association but in order to eat or provide for his family, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Sports federation habitually invites athletes to a slave camp where those fundamental rights are thrown away. Is this not bondage or enslavement? Is this not gross violation of the constitution? Carrots and sticks analogy or bribery metaphor does not explain the magnitude of these atrocities that continues unabated. This must stop.
Sports governance begins with leadership with qualities of a true leader not an imposed perambulator. The followers must predetermine a true leader; he must be an individual with extremely high leadership qualities including a strong academic and working experience related to such endeavor. In Nigeria however, this is a fantasy or dream right out of academic folklore because such view of leadership is tantamount to treasonable offence when advocated and that explains why people considers it bravery for any individual to challenge several rotten agenda.
In recent days, sports commands brief mention in the media simply because the country’s football is in hiatus and the politics of the day are so sexy for the media. Examples include Sanusi imbroglio, Boko Haram finger pointing, PDP implosion, APC calculations, Okonjo-Iweala resignation or not.
These issues are simply preventing and impeding coverage about sports, although, Angie Taylor, the American hired recently, noted that she did not come to Nigeria with magic wand to reverse the rotten trend about Nigeria’s sports. The question that ought to have been asked, what does she brings to the table that cannot be handled by others including Nigerians at about $200,000 salary while athletes are gagged and caged at slave camp in Abuja for about 50cents per day? Is this right? Angie’s got freedom of speech while the country’s athletes are simply muscled like a pitbull. It must be noted that athletes are not really forced to be enslaved rather they arrived there as a way out of poverty that is preventing them in achieving greater heights in their chosen past times.
Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi on his part continues to be out of limelight due to precarious political situation that he finds himself. Of course he is currently in lame duck position without any political card to play and more importantly, Mr. President has been assertive these days than usual following Mr. Sanusi imbroglio. As to sports federations, they are all trying to reposition themselves based on this writer’s suggestion on what sports governance is all about and of course, they lacked such mandate based on their governing instruments.
Way forward
Athletes ought to be catered for – wherever and whenever. Slave (athletes) camps and rules of gagging athletes must be abolished rather it’s the officials that ought to be gagged for making senseless and discriminatory utterances, specifically, favoring a specific state over others contrary to the country’s constitution. ONE NIGERIA I was told and that’s still valid as at now.
I rest.
Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons), LLM(London)