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| Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye |
N igerian citizens have reacted strongly to the recent explanation by Senator John Owan Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development, regarding the lack of proper equipment for Nigerian cyclist Ese Ukpeseraye at the 2024 Olympics.
In his statement, the minister clarified that Team Nigeria was originally prepared for one road race and had the necessary equipment. However, due to a last-minute reallocation of slots from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), Nigeria became eligible to compete in additional track races, requiring specialized biking equipment not previously ordered. Despite these challenges, the Federation managed to secure a ‘Track Bike’ for Ese through her club in Europe, with assistance from a German company.
However, this explanation has been met with skepticism and frustration from Nigerians on social media.
Burnt Chocolate (@CannonleoGeek) questioned the delay, stating:
"That bike is sold in high-performance shops in Paris and Toulouse. There is nothing like 3 months delivery."
Damilare Odulesi (@DamilareOdulesi) criticized the minister's excuses and pointed out another instance of administrative oversight:
"As usual, untenable excuses. But I don't have strength for this matter, I would have asked what happened to Favour Ofili who missed her 100m race because whoever was supposed to fill in her name for the competition failed to do so. Does that also take months to import?"
Ibukun Aluko (@IbkSports) expressed disappointment at Nigeria's lack of medals:
"2 days left, a country of over 200M people is yet to win a medal, not even bronze. My Honorable minister sir, this isn’t good at all. There has to be a proper overhauling of the NOC and AFN."
Omolomo (@Omolomo_o) questioned the country's preparedness:
"You didn’t swing into action when you omitted Ofili Favour's name from the 100m race. Moreover, for this, aren’t we supposed to have extra cycling materials in the first place? Swinging into action that could have been avoided since without stress by making adequate provision."
Adéyemí Ọmo Ọba (@PrinceYemiMike) called for the minister to be fired over the handling of the situation:
"Read what you wrote again, sir. How long would it take you to book a flight yourself from Abuja to Paris? How long to order a bike? Or get from International Cyclist Federation or even from the Olympic organizers? You people keep embarrassing the country. You should be fired!"
The public sentiment is one of frustration, with many calling for accountability and a thorough overhaul of the relevant sports authorities.
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