Nigerian-born athletes beseige Team Nigeria secretariat

Hordes of visitors have continued to beseech Team Nigeria’s secretariat at the Olympic Village. Many of the visitors, mainly, are Nigerian athletes representing other countries at the Olympics and those who are living in Diaspora, coming back to identity with their roots.

Great Britain are the greatest beneficiaries of Nigerian born athletes and they have popped into the secretariat to wish Team Nigeria well. Sometimes, some of the athletes try to speak their mother tongue or come to ask or exchange Nigerian pins.

Christine Ohuruogu. ‘’Yes, I am a Nigerian. My Dad told me I am from Imo State. It’s incredible. I love Nigeria’’, she said in her GBR uniform

Marilyn Okoro Okoro. ‘’I came to identify with my people. I wish you the best of luck in the Olympics’’.

Abiodun Oyepitan: It’s lovely to be here. You get good feelings being around your people’’.

Besides athletes, there have been scores of Nigerians who are volunteers in the Olympics streaming to the Nigerian Secretariat to identify themselves and speak the language. They ask serious questions from politics to the state of the nation and ofcourse, sports in Nigeria. One asked; ‘’Is there stable light in Nigeria now. I came around with my Dad but we had to change our date of departure because I was scared of darkness’’.

For us who have been hardened, either in darkness or bad roads, or unemployment or in killings, Nigerians we are and Nigerians we are going to be. Nigerians for life!