Share
By Anthony Nlebem.
Nigeria’s only individual Olympic gold medallist, Chioma Ajunwa, has stated that poor welfare package is the bane of country’s athletes, The PUNCH reports.
The former Nigerian track and field athlete in a chat with our correspondent blamed the Athletics Federation of Nigeria for not prioritising the welfare of the athletes, noting that the country is blessed with a bundle of talents.
She further said that most Nigerian athletes prefer to represent other countries where they will be properly taken care of while competing.
“I believe the government does not need to be told to take care of Nigerians that have invested so much in the country,”, Ajunwa told The PUNCH.
“Some of these athletes don’t have jobs because they are representing Nigeria and by the time they retire, they are just on their own, even when they are sick, you need to appeal to the government before they respond.
“That is why most of our athletes do not take part in sports, they indulge in fraudulent internet activities to make money. If the government is rewarding athletes very well, a lot of them will channel their energy to sports because something good is coming out of it.
“I will advise the government to look into that direction, if we want to reduce crime in our society, sports should be a very big tool to do that.
“If we are compensating our athletes well, giving them scholarships, and taking care of their welfare and health, many of them will go into sports full-time.”