The Paris 2024 Olympics highlighted a bittersweet reality for Nigeria. While the country’s official delegation returned without medals, athletes of Nigerian descent made headlines representing other nations. This trend, where our brightest talents achieve success under foreign flags, underscores the failures of our own systems.

One can’t help but ask why these athletes, who have the potential to bring glory to Nigeria, choose to compete for other countries. The answer lies in the very structure of our nation—a system that seems almost designed to stifle, rather than nurture, talent.

Take, for example, the success stories of Samu Omoridion, Michael Olise, and Yemisi Ogunleye. These athletes found better developmental opportunities abroad—whether in football academies, advanced training facilities, or national support systems that recognized and fostered their potential from a young age. Nigeria, on the other hand, continues to struggle with underfunded sports programs, lack of infrastructure, and a bureaucracy that often sidelines merit in favor of favoritism.

This isn’t just a sports issue; it’s a microcosm of a broader national problem. Our best and brightest—whether in athletics, academics, or other fields—are increasingly looking abroad for opportunities that they should be finding at home. The Nigerian system, plagued by corruption and a lack of vision, fails to provide the necessary support for its citizens to excel. Instead, it forces them to seek opportunities in countries where their talents are recognized and rewarded.

Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English,’ ‘Welsh,’ or ‘French.’ The word ‘Nigerian’ is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not – Obafemi Awolowo

Michael Olise

The athletes who represented other nations at the Paris 2024 Olympics made pragmatic decisions. Faced with the choice between a system that works and one that doesn’t, they chose the former. Who can blame them? But their choices are a glaring indictment of our own failures.

If Nigeria continues on this path, we will keep losing our stars to other nations. It’s not just about sports; it’s about the future of the country. Our leaders must wake up to the reality that investing in our people—creating systems that genuinely support and nurture talent—is the only way to secure Nigeria’s place on the world stage.

We must ask ourselves: How many more of our stars will we watch shine for other nations before we realize that the problem isn’t with them, but with us?

The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership -Chinua Achebe

Why Nigerian Stars Shine Abroad but Not at Home

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