The impressive performance of the Nigerian 2024 Paralympics contingent in Paris recently is worthy of praise. In a press statement made available to journalists in Abuja by the Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity & Justice and Media Practitioners for Development, MPD and signed by the duo of Mr Johnson Eze and Comrade James Okoronkwo, they lauded the Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Owan- Enoh for the spectacular performance of the Nigerian Paralympics contingent saying “that the Minister transparently utilized the resources at his disposal for the sporting glory Nigeria recorded”.
Continuing, the Amalgamation of pressure groups condemned the targeted media attacks on the sports minister since after the Olympics especially at the hollow attempt to compare the 2024 Olympics budget vis-a-vis performance of the current minister with that of the 2020 Olympics that held in year 2021.In the same vein the Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity & Justice and Media Practitioners for Development decried the orchestrated media attacks on the sports minister Sen John Owan- Enoh lamenting that the hue and cry about the N12 billion spent at the 2024 Olympics games is misplaced, wicked, senseless and reprehensible going by the fact that N12 billion was for both the Olympics and the Paralympic Games and included expenditure for the various qualifications of the athletes in the various sports at both games.
The group further noted that sports expenditure is international, and the 12 billion expended for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics is slightly above $7 million when compared to the more than $8 million spent during the 2020/2021 Olympics whose budget was #3.1billion,with the exchange rate in 2021 averaging not more than #400 to a dollar compared to the about #1,600 in 2024.Besides,the fact that the total number of athletes that represented Nigeria in 2020/2021 Olympics was 92 compared to 110-number 2024 Olympics contingent. Following this closely is the consideration of the inflation rate in the country at the different periods( 16.3% in 2021 compared to 33.3% in 2024).
Furthermore, the group chided those comparing the outcome of the 2020/2021 Olympics with the 2024 Olympics games saying that they need to be reminded that the immediate past Minister of Sports spent 2 years in office before the 2020 Olympics,which held in year 2021 where as the incumbent had barely spent one year before the commencement of 2024 Olympic games.
Concluding, the groups gave kudos to the sports minister for the successes recorded last week, dubbing it “a weekend of sporting glory” during which our Under 20 Female Team in the ongoing Female World Cup in far away Columbia recorded their second victory in the 4-0 defeat of Venezuela and qualified for the round of 16. The group also lauded the victory of the Super Eagles against the Benin Republic where for the first time in a long while they recorded 3 unreplied goals and also the last goal medal won by Folashade in the last day of the Paralympics.
Finally, the group called for all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the sports minister to move our sports to the next pedestal.