Following the release of the names of Nigerian athletes who won medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris by former governor and presidential contender Peter Obi, social media users responded in a variety of ways. Peter Obi bemoaned the flight of Nigerian talent abroad in a post he made on his official X account on Monday.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
He highlighted the achievements of Nigerian-born athletes who won medals for other countries at the Olympics, citing it as a stark reminder of the country’s failure to harness its own potential.
Obi pointed out that Yemisi Ogunleye’s gold medal win for Germany, Annette Echikunwoke’s triumph for the USA, and Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu’s silver medal achievement for Bahrain were all testaments to Nigeria’s inability to retain its talented citizens.
He also praised Rena Wakama, a Nigerian-American coach who led Nigeria’s female basketball team to the quarterfinals, as an example of the country’s untapped potential.
This talent drain, Obi implied, is a result of Nigeria’s inadequate support systems, lack of opportunities, and failure to recognize its own talent.
As a result, other countries are benefiting from Nigeria’s loss, while the country itself continues to struggle with development challenges.
Obi’s statement serves as a wake-up call for Nigeria to reevaluate its priorities and invest in its people, lest it continue to lose its brightest minds and most gifted individuals to other nations.
Here is what Peter Obi wrote on his official X;
“Yemisi Ogunleye won gold for Germany. Annette Echikunwoke, frustrated out of Nigeria, won gold for the United States of America, and Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu who already an athletic potential at the age of 15 in Port Harcourt, River state before changing nationality and religion, won silver medals for Bahrain and lastly the 32-year-old Nigerian American head coach of Nigeria’s female basketball team the D’Tigress, Rena Wakama, was named the best coach at the Olympics for guiding Nigeria team to the quarterfinals”.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Below are the reactions:
