The social media had since the elections, and probably even before that, been a sad place. For as long as I can remember, negative and unpalatable stories about Nigeria spewed fortheveryday, like lava from a volcano, staining and corrupting whatever they came in contact with. But last month, something beautiful and refreshing happened and the social media smiled. It became, albeit for a while, a happy place for Nigerians.
Those athletes did themselves proud and they could leave the venue with their heads high. But more importantly, they did Nigeria proud where it mattered most. I have always believed that there is a relationship between a country’s sporting prowess and its economic strength and the medal table again proved this. It was no coincidence that the three largest economies in Africa were the top three on the medal table.
One of the peculiarities of sports is that standards are set and whoever meets the standards is given a chance to perform. Competitors know that whoever breasts the tape first gets the gold medal. They also know that the road to getting medals is through training and hardwork. It is not by colour or race or tribe. An athlete can perform as long as they are competitive. There is no rotation, there is no tribal or racial inclusion. In short, ‘Emilokan’ has no place in sports.