Nigerian singer Seun Kuti has voiced strong criticism of the Nigerian government for its lack of investment in sports, particularly following the country’s poor performance at the recent Olympics.
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In a video posted on Instagram, Kuti highlighted that Nigeria’s participation was limited to sports that require minimal investment, while more resource-intensive sports were neglected.
Kuti pointed out that Nigeria’s athletes were mainly involved in track and field events because running is inexpensive.
In contrast, sports that need specialized equipment, like football, basketball, and tennis, saw no Nigerian representation.
He emphasized that while simple sports like running can be done with minimal resources, those requiring items such as rackets and nets were ignored.
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The singer proposed that the government should invest in sports leagues and offer substantial rewards to athletes.
He suggested that creating a competitive sports league with large prizes, such as 25 million dollars for winners and a minimum annual prize of 1 million dollars, would encourage more participation.
Kuti argued that Nigerians are keenly interested in various sports and that a similar investment in domestic sports could yield significant results.
Furthermore, Kuti criticized the lack of opportunities for Nigerian talent, noting that many athletes who might have represented Nigeria are instead competing for other countries.
He pointed to the success of international athletes with Nigerian heritage and lamented the missed potential due to insufficient support for sports like gymnastics.
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