Members of Team Nigeria special athletes that did
the country proud at the just concluded London
Paralympic Games in the United Kingdom will today
at the Presidential Villa have a feel of the presidential
treat from President Goodluck Jonathan.
The minister of information, Mr Labaran Maku,
described the team’s performance in the London
Paralympics as encouraging, after their able bodied
counterparts failed last month in the London 2012
Olympics to impress. He said as mark of honour for
their gallant zeal in wiping away tears of many
Nigerians, the president will today host them to a
special reception. He also said that the female junior
football team, the Falconets who came fourth in the
just concluded female junior World Cup in Japan will
also be hosted at the reception for their brilliant
performance.
Though, according to the minister, the reception is
aimed at sending a message that all athletes are
important, but it is not yet clear what kind of reward
the individual athletes received for their brilliant
performance.
The Nigerian special athletes won a total of 13
medals of six gold, five silver and two bronze
medals. Interestingly, their able bodied counterparts
did not win any medal at the main London Games
London.
On the overall medals table, Team Nigeria finished
22nd position in the world, and placed third in Africa
behind Tunisia and South Africa which placed first
and second respectively.
Team Nigeria‘s special athletes returned home on
Tuesday unattended to by any official of the National
Sports Commission (NSC). Not happy by the ill-
treatment meted to them by officials of the sports
commission despite their heroic performance, they
publicly voiced out their anger and immediately
demanded to be treated like their able bodied
counterparts.
Some of them went ahead to make a list of demands
which they expect President Goodluck Jonathan to
meet during today’s presidential reception.
Among their demands according to reports, is to be
given a resounding reception by the president and
that government should as matter of urgency begin
to address the issues hindering the development of
Paralympics sports in the country. “We know what
we go through during training. Imagine our situation
in Nigeria when as disabled people we have to
struggle to get transportation back home, because
we cannot get into the regular buses, we have to take
taxis and we spend more money than other
colleagues,” said one of the gold medalists, Grace
Anozie.
On her part, silver medalist, Folasade Oluwafemiayo,
wants the government to invest more in sports,
particularly special sports.
“There are a lot of people like me who would want to
go into sport but don’t have money. The President
must take interest in our sports. We need to go on
coaching courses, we need to train our officials so
that we don’t get cheated at international events just
like was done to me.
Source http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/34917/2012/09/15/jonathan_rolls_out_drums_paralympians_today.html