What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

The multi-sport event held in 16 additional cities spread across Metropolitan France and one subsite in Tahiti, French Polynesia, started with a colourful opening ceremony on July 26 and rounded off at Stade de France with a grander closing ceremony titled “Records,” featuring more than a hundred performers, including acrobats, dancers, and circus artists.

The Games, christened “Wide Open,” indeed offered all participating countries equal opportunity to vie for laurels, but those that came prepared are counting their blessings, while those who took preparation for granted and applied a fire-brigade approach are left sulking, ruining mistakes they are not capable of learning from.

Nigeria is one of those countries that see no need to prepare adequately for major sporting events, and Paris 2024 was not exceptional.

The country that prides itself as the most populous black nation fielded 88 athletes in 12 sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, football, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling, where it supposedly has comparative advantages, but it ended up with no medal in the kitty, replicating the country’s regrettable outings at Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1965, Rome 1960, Mexico 1968, Moscow 1980, Seoul 1988, and London 2012.

Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, is miffed over the dismal performance, which he blames on inadequate preparation.

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