Nigerian singer, Seun Kuti has slammed Nigerian government for failing to invest in sports, due to the country’s poor performance in 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gatekeepers News reports that the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti, criticised the government in a video posted on his official Instagram account.
Seun asserted that Nigeria only participated in sports that don’t require much money while neglecting those that do, during the games.
He said, “I dey watch Olympic games; look at how poorly we performed. How many sports are we competing in? I saw that it was only sports that did not need investment that Nigerians participated in, like, It was the sports that needed minimum investment that we did.”
The singer added that team Nigerian competed in track and field events because running is cheap and easy to do. However, in sports that needed more equipment, Nigeria was missing.
He said, “You know, to play football, you need a post and net and other things are added, in some places, boys would use slippers to create a goalpost. But in sports that need things like rackets, nets, basketball courts and rims, where you can’t easily improvise, we weren’t there. We competed in track and field events because it’s easy to do running. But in sports that need equipment, we are never there.”
Seun further urged government to invest in sports leagues and offer large prizes to athletes, stressing that Nigerians have an interest in many sports.
He said, “Nigerians know all these sports and bet on them so how much would it take to create a good league and gift the winners 25 million dollars? Let there be a minimum of a million dollars per year, after all, this is what boys are earning in Europe.”
The singer further criticised lack of opportunities for Nigerian talent, stressing that lack of support and opportunities is why many athletes represent other countries instead.
He said, “Nigerians are unable to enjoy the talents of their children, all our big superstars. Which other shows do they play in Nigeria? I was watching the Olympics and I saw people with Nigerian-sounding names doing incredible things for other countries. If Simone Biles can be that great, imagine how many young girls with talent that are wasting away because people will not invest in gymnastics and train our children.”
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