MUST READ...........ULULATIONS OF A YOUTHFUL NIGERIAN BY Dr Pius E. Ojemolon

"Sleeping giant". "Failing state". "Blessed nation in decline".
There are few phrases that provide a more fitting description of the current state of Nigeria than the above.
It is pleasurable to think it is not all doom and gloom, but it certainly is far from being all sunshine and rainbows.

For want of adjectives, this is a rant; one I would restrict to the two sectors of the nation I hold to heart the most, i.e., the health and sports sectors.

Now, do not get me wrong, the economic and political sectors are probably even more shambolic than the aforementioned two, but secondary to a lack of sufficient interest and information, as well as an assessment of those issues as over-flogged, I will limit my cursory inspection to the aspects of the nation that worry me most.

Suffice to say, I am a medical doctor in the first year of my practice who is as avid a follower of football, in particular, and sports in general, as you will find in most parts.
As we all know, the nation's number 1 citizen has spent a considerable amount of time outside our shores seeking medical care. Hundreds of public figures are reported to do the same every year. If there is a more damning indictment of the Nigerian health sector, feel free to mention.

Probably more worrying though is the fact that thousands of Nigerian medical doctors exit the shores of the country annually in search of better jobs, lives and working conditions. In all fairness, I would leave in a heartbeat if the opportunity surfaces.

As hapless as the health sector appears though, the sports sector would be green with envy if both were pitted against each other.

We have failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations at every attempt since we last won it in 2013. Quite frankly, that is laughable, especially when you take into cognisance this statistic: Nigeria is more populated than the last three winners of the tournament PUT TOGETHER".

The Super Eagles are, however, in somewhat of a mini-renaissance, as our World Cup qualifying series has shown. There are talented footballers of Nigerian heritage scattered all over Europe who are yet to commit their futures to any one particular national team. Efforts have to be put in place to convince them in our direction. A separate article will be written on that topic in the near future, God willing.

On the athletics front, "pathetic" does not even do our fortunes appropriate justice. Much smaller African nations like Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire and Morocco have seen representatives on the podium at IAAF events over the last two years. Kenya, Ethiopia and, in particular, South Africa have regularly done so as well.

The mesmeric rise of South African sports over the past few years is a quintessential example of the concerted efforts of a nation at improvement bearing fruit.
Wayde van Niekerk, Cameron van der Burgh, Caster Semenya, Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai are world class athletes and globally recognised names in their respective fields. Heck, a South African just played in the final of one of the biggest tennis tournaments the planet has to offer. Uncharted territory for my fellow Nigerians.

Considering the population and diverse talent pool existent in Nigeria, the South African model is a very achievable target for us.
Special shout-outs to Blessing Okagbare-Teguonor and other athletes like her who continually strive to take this seemingly unwilling nation back to the heights where we are expected to be at.
The Summer Olympics at Atlanta in '96 was meant to be a glorious dawn for Nigerian sports. We have retrogressed since then.

Let this serve as a note to the necessary authorities.
We need an overhaul of the health and sports sectors of the country.
Health is wealth, they say, and nothing unites a nation quite like sports.

  Dr Pius E. Ojemolon is a University of Benin medical graduate, who  bagged 19 awards at his university convocation . The awards include school sponsored Best graduating student in pathology, Best graduating student in pharmacology, Best graduating student in community health, Best graduating student in obstetrics and gynaecology, Best graduating student in internal medicine, Best graduating student in surgery, Best graduating student in the School of Medicine. In 2015, he was awarded the Most Outstanding Medical Student for his ground-breaking distinction in the third professional Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in Pathology and Clinical Pharmacology held in that year.