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WITHDRAWAL OF NIGERIAN RUGBY SEVENS FROM COMMONWEALTH GAMES BY NOC, A MAJOR SETBACK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GAME IN NIGERIA
It was with great and undeniable shock and dismay I received report of the withdrawal of the Nigerian Rugby Sevens from the Commonwealth game coming up this summer in Glasgow, Scotland by the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) with no clarification to why such a questionable decision was made and on whose interest it was made. A decision which according to IRB’s Mark Egan “Is disappointing for the Nigerian rugby team and their Rugby Union…….”.
My face betrayed my emotion and I could not hide my displeasure over the Nigerian Olympic committee’s decision and I ask the following questions:
Why must we always sacrifice and short change the hope of youths of this country and their chances of succeeding on the dirty and inhumane table of politics and vested interest.
Why must the sadistic nature of man never cease to find a perpetual abode to rest only to always show forth his face whenever a major landmark is about to be attained, only to destroy the work of our relentless heroes and heroines?
Why do we take pleasure is seeing other people’s work and progress go down in vain all in the name of “if it not me nobody else must” syndrome? Does it really even matter through who this achievement was made, if truly we are all in this race to see this sport develop?
Why must we turn ourselves into the Biblical Esau, selling out our birthright to partake in the rugby sevens event in the forth coming summer commonwealth games in Glasgow, Scotland to Barbados for a mess of pottage? I could imagine the joy and celebration that would have greeted the Barbados Rugby sevens team upon receiving the news of the Nigerian rugby sevens pulling out from the rugby event, giving the Barbados a lucky slot to replace Nigerian team in the pool A, which consist of the undisputable New Zealand’s All Blacks, Canada and the host nation Scotland.
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Even if we are not a good student or fan of history can’t we learn from the developed world and how they have developed their various sports overtime? Does it matter if we were beaten a hundred tries to nothing and crashed out in the pool stage? At least we would have made our presence felt by the world as a rugby playing nation even when we are at the developing stage of the game. And who said we would be crash out from the pool stage?
Over the decades they have being men who took it upon themselves to develop the game of Rugby football in Nigeria, young minded men with dreams and aspirations. Who in the process of developing the game put their time, resources and life on the line to ensure the sport gets to where it is today. Day and night they toiled drawing closer to their dreams bit by bit with barley little or no government assistance. In 2013, our national 7s team went as far as Marrakesh in Morocco to participate in the Africa Cup 7s where they made a good account of themselves; they were third placed and missed out on Rio Olympics qualification by a whisker. Leaving them 5th ranked sevens team in Africa (next to South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tunisia) and 3rd ranked African Commonwealth member.
And when it just seemed the great dream of Nigerian rugby team playing at the commonwealth games as come to fruition, some elements who did not know how the story began nor were they involve in consolidating the sport to where it is today decided to show up from nowhere to shoot themselves in the leg and brought the progress achieved so far to a halt, hindering our chance of being represented in the internationally acclaimed event such as the commonwealth games, the Queen’s prestigious event for her former colonies.
However, the step taking by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) who themselves could not comprehend why such a decision was made, I must say is laudable, demanding an immediate investigation into why such decision was made has the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has refuse to respond to an initial request for clarification from foreign media.
May I use this opportunity to appeal the honorable minister of sports Bolaji Abdullahi, whose during his current tenure as the minister of sports Nigerian sports as witness a drastic improvement and tremendous achievement and glory, to please also set up an inquiry into why such a decision as to withdrawing the Nigerian Rugby sevens team from the common wealth games was made and to whose benefit was this made.
I quiet understand that this is a tough time for the Nigerian Rugby Football Federation, relentless individuals and corporate bodies sponsoring the sport in Nigeria, coaches, players and fans, I share their grief and pain considering the effort that has been channeled into the preparation for the forth coming games. The NOC decision is not just a shame and a blow it is a major setback for the development of the sport in Nigeria. Who knows along we would have to wait to attain this landmark again.
Just as the rugby football game as a sport teaches us through the passing backwards but moving forward formation, really in life we definitely will encounter setback like this but the truth is they are there to move us forward towards attaining our main goal. If we don’t encounter such setback and surmount it, how do we account for our stewardship of being ambassadors of the sport?
Really this is not the time to start feel discouraged or even think of turning back from greater task ahead because a dog has backed, We must come together in unity and one voice and continue our quest in ensuring that we bring Nigerian rugby to a stage where it will be the cynosure of all eyes in any world rugby tournaments for posterity will judge us kindly.
And for the villains, the wolfs in human clothing I want to fully assure you that your chicken is coming home soon to roast because the moral hands of the universe moves to justice and justice indeed will prevail.
Ayotunde Olushuyi.
