As  curtain draws on the year 2012, it has been a harvest of mixed feelings as the  sporting events of the year are assessed.

The Sports sector in Nigeria, despite the abundance of manpower, talents and opportunities has fraught with many disappointments, crisis and few reasons to celebrate. Indeed, the country can be said to have witnessed a 2012 of woes, especially, at international sports meets.

The most populous black nation with over 167 million people went to the London 2012 Olympic Games and left without a medal to show for its participation. It was Nigeria’s worst Olympic performance since 1988.

Nigeria, by every standard should be among leading sporting nations in the world but the reverse seems to be the case as it continues to real from underwhelming performances from continental to international competitions.

Overall, positives for the country in 2012 could only be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Perhaps, the major causes for celebration for the country this year were the heartwarming performance of Nigeria’s Paralympians to London 2012 Paralympics, Super Eagles qualification for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, women football teams, Falconnets   and flamingoes average performances at the FIFA Youth World Cups in Azerbajan and Japan and the evolving national male under-17 football team which has qualified for the African U-17 tournament with a performance and style that suggest that the country may be on the path to rediscovering her potency in youth football.

The Paralympians unlike their Olympics counterparts, went to London, saw and conquered; winning a total of 13 medals made up of six gold, five silver and two bronze medals. The disabled athletes were the kings of power lifting as 12 of the country’s medals were won in the event, smashing several world records, while a consolatory bronze medal was won in the women’s shotput by Euchania lyiazi.

Nigeria placed 12th out of a total of 74 countries on the medals table was Africa’s third best, behind Tunisia and South Africa.

Impressed by the starling performance of the Team Nigeria Paralympians, President Goodluck Jonathan rewarded participants with monetary and national honours awards.

Contrastingly, Team Nigeria’s poor show at the Olympics proper led to an inquest in the shape of the Presidential Retreat on Sports.

The country’s disappointing outing at the Olympics was attributed to poor funding and shambolic Sports administration.

According to the Minister of Sports and Chairman of National Sports Commission, NSC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, Team Nigeria’s disastrous outing could be a blessing in disguise for setting the tune for the country to begin to engage in a successful development of her sports sector rather than dwelling in the telling disappointment.

Thus, President Goodluck Jonathan called shareholder at the summit to brainstorm and interact at the Presidential retreat to return Nigeria to the pinnacle of Sports development and excellence.

According to the President, restoring Nigeria’s part glory in Sports and bringing dignity to the nation at Sporting events is not negotiable.

“This is because there is no sector in the country’s national life that has greater force of mobilizing and uniting Nigerians as Sports. It is only in Sports that Moslems and Christians sing the same songs, dance the same steps; therefore, we must encourage sporting activities in this country.”

To achieve the desired target and yearning for reorganisation, the President charged the 38 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to look at the area of sports they have comparative advantage to concentrate on and develop.

Unfortunately, the problems and disappointments of 2012 were not restricted to the country’s participation at the London 2012 Olympics.

Apart from scrabble, which did well in the year under review to retain its title as Africa’s leading scrabble playing nation, almost all other sports associations have one yoke or tale of woes to tell.

Nigeria’s Rex Ogbakpa emerged continental champion in Scrabble, taking over from his compatriot, Wellington Jighere-Ogbakpa won 21 of 30 games played with a cumulative of +1700 points to beat another Nigerian, Owolabi Lukman, who had 20 wins with cumulative +1171 points to the top prize. Another Nigerian, Omosefe Prince finished third with 19 wins and cumulative points of +1069.

It was a Nigeria affair at the 9th African Scrabble championship in Zambia as the competition was only stiff within Team Nigeria’s contingent and only them smashed each other in the top 10, in spite of the noteable absence of several Nigeria’s key players like two-time African Champions, Dennis Ikekeregor, Wellington Jighere, Chinedu Unujose, Summy, Moshood, Rashide and others.

Football

Football which has been the most popular sport in the country had a mixed feeling among Nigerians in the year under review. The visible achievement was the qualification of Super Eagles for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Unlike the horrors of 2011 where all the national teams failed to qualify for their respective continental and world cup campaigns, the teams including the Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets picked continental tickets to represent Nigeria at their respective African Youth Championships in Guinea and Morocco.

While the Falconets and Flamingoes distinguished themselves at the FIFA Under-20 and 17 Women World Cup held in Japan and Azerbaijan, reaching the semifinal and quarter finals of the events respectively, Super Falcons failed to defend their African Women title in Equatorial Guinea.

The team finished fourth in the event behind host, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and Cameroon. Not-too-impressed by the team performance, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) disbanded the team immediately on their return from Equatorial Guinea. But that was after Coach Kadiri Ikhana who guided the team to the tournament resigned his appointment.

The Super Falcons entered the competition as defending champions but lost to South Africa in the semi-finals and also failed to beat Cameroon in the third-placed game. NFF noted that there is no need keeping the team which failed to retain the AWC trophy in Equatorial Guinea. They also lamented the poor showing of the team after they gave them every necessary support before the competition. They however, promised to reconstitute the team in no distant time.

Also, Nigeria’s representative in both CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup put up abysmal performance with the exception of Sunshine Stars of Akure which made it to the semifinal of the CAF Champions League before having their ambition cut short by Egyptian giants and eventual winners, Al Ahly.

NPL Imbroglio

Nigeria’s football administration is never devoid of any crisis. And in the year under review, the Chief Rumson Victor Baribote led Nigeria Premier League (NPL) administration after overseeing probably the worst league season in history was sacked by club owners. Pundits believe they acted on the instruction given to them by their masters at the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The two hotels in Abuja where the impeachment/dissolution of the Baribote-led NPL board were drawn and implemented are more of a battle ground than the convivial atmosphere naturally associated with sports events (in the words of Romanus Ogwu)

Baribote was unanimously kicked out at the 7th annual congress of the NPL held on December 11 in Abuja after being accused of misappropriation of funds, lack of transparency and accountability which the club owners claimed were responsible for the inability of Nigeria’s top flight to attract sponsorship for the past two seasons.

The Nigeria Football federation, NFF at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Port Harcourt, ratified NPL congress decision in sacking Baribote and therefore set up a 13-man committee which includes former Nigerian international, Nwankwo Kanu.

In the twilight of the year, we were once again reminded that football is not far from controversy in the country as super Eagles Striker Osaze Odemwingie hit the NFF, Coach Stephen Keshi and the national team with veracious outburst following the release of provisional 32-man list for the 2013 Nations Cup and his omission from the list

Athletics

Three weeks to the London Olympic Games, Team Nigeria regained the top spot of Africa athletics by winning the 18th African Athletics Championship held in Port Novo, Republic of Benin. Vivian Chukwuemeka’s dominant display in the women’s shot put final and the fantastic 4x400m run by the Nigeria’s men and women’s relay teams headlined the last day of competition and the country’s successful return to the summit of African athletics.

Chukwuemeka, the 2002 Commonwealth Games queen set a new African, national and championship record of 18.86m to lead a Nigerian top three sweep of the medals at stake in the Shot put. Chinwe Okoro who won Nigeria’s first gold medal at the championship settled for silver (16.21m) while Omotayo Talabi picked the gold with a put of 15.63m.

The women’s 1600 relay set the tone for an intriguing finish with a new championship record of 3:28.77 to beat Botswana led by individual 400m winner and reigning world champion, Amantle Montsho. This victory tied Nigeria and Kenya on nine gold medals each with the men’s 4x400m event the decider for Nigeria which needed to win the gold to be crowned African champions.

The quartet of Salihu Issah, Amaechi Morton, Abiola Onakoya and anchor-leg runner, Saul Weigopwa ran superbly and deservedly picked the gold with a new 3:02.39 seconds record to put Nigeria on top of the medals table 12 years after it last enjoyed that privilege in Dakar, Senegal.

The last day haul of five gold, two silver and two bronze medals was thus enough for Nigeria to push aside Kenya which beat the Nigerians by just one gold medal two years earlier on home soil in Nairobi. Nigeria thus finished first with 10 gold, six silver and five bronze medals with Kenya second with nine gold, nine silver and nine bronze medals. South Africa, the 2008 champions came third with six gold, 10 silver and eight bronze medals.

Nigeria set a total of three championships and one African record in the five-day competition with Chukwuemeka topping her 17.60m championships record set in Tunis in 2002, the first time she was crowned African champions in the event with an African-record setting 18.86m. Blessing Okagbare also erased Chioma Ajunwa’s 6.78m record with a new 6.96m record while the women’s 4x400m relay team erased the 3:29.26 record set by the quartet of Shade Abugan, Margaret Etim, Bukola Abogunloko and Ajoke.

Basketball

Though Nigeria’s flag-bearers at the London Olympic Games’ basketball event were beaten and dismantled by United States which set an Olympic record with 156 points, the highest ever in Olympics history against Nigerian team, the team made history.

The fact that D’ Tigers made their first appearance in the basketball at the Olympics setting a new record of African team to win a match at the Olympics was a laudable achievement.

Even though Nigeria had always been an African superpower, one of its weakest zones in sports is the basketball ranking. Their journey to Olympics qualification wasn’t an easy one even as basketball analysts such as ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said that Nigeria had no chance.

Despite many stumbling blocks, they shocked everyone by beating European powerhouse Greece and Venezuela on their way to qualifying for the 12-team basketball competition in London. The team made an impressive start to the London games, winning their first game, beating Tunisia 60-56. With the victory, D’Tigers becomes the first basketball team in African’s sporting history to win a match at the Olympics.

National Sports Festival

Sports events in the year under review came to a climax with the successful hosting of the 18th National Sports Festival by Lagos State. The event came to a thrilling end with Team Delta State coming first and taking away the prize money and giant trophy.

Erstwhile Champion Team Rivers finished second, followed by host, Lagos State.

Popular artistes like Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal, Whiz Kid, Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 band held the sizeable crowd at the Teslim Balogun Stadium venue of the closing ceremony spellbound for the duration of the event. There was also several rounds of fireworks display which will go down as one of the best in the country in recent times.

Though the fiesta was marred by claims of poor officiating and under hand tactics by desperate officials and states, the festival was largely successful as the enthusiastic hosts set out to create an atmosphere of friendship.

Minister of Sports and National Sports Commission Chairman, Bolaji Abdulahi, who stood in for the President of the Federal Republic Goodluck Johnathan rated the Eko 2012 Games very high. He commended the athletes for their resilience and for the spirit of sportsmanship demonstrated all through the games.