THIS week I was wondering what to write on this column. Many things have been said and done and it’s just a repetition of events. Then former Super Eagles defender Taribo West stirred the hornet’s nest when he said “I would never advise my son to play for this country” as he lamented the neglect of late Peter Rufai and slammed the NFF and Lagos State at
the funeral.
Expectedly, he has been receiving knocks, and it has also brought to the fore the entitlement mentality of some of our sports stars. My reaction to Taribo’s outburst? He’s completely off the mark, and his comments reek of misplaced priorities and entitlement.
Most of these ex-players made millions of naira during their playing days, and because of lack of discipline and financial literacy, they blew their money. Some of them end up in penury and expect the country to be taking care of them. They use emotional blackmail against the nation, forgetting that they were handsomely rewarded during their active careers.
Let’s be honest about this – after playing several years in Europe and earning good salaries, these players have no reason to be broke. Taribo West himself played for top European clubs including Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Auxerre. Are we supposed to believe he didn’t make enough money to secure his future? If he squandered his earnings, that’s a personal problem, not a national responsibility.
There is a place where the government may come in during times of serious illness, but don’t make it a duty. After all, these players were paid match allowances and bonuses for making the country proud when they excelled.
President Bola Tinubu just rewarded the victorious Super Falcons and D’Tigress with $100,000 each and three-bedroom flats. These are monies some civil servants and security personnel may never see in their entire lifetime.
The timing of Taribo’s comments is also suspicious. He chose a funeral, Peter Rufai’s funeral – to launch this attack. That’s tasteless and disrespectful to the deceased and his family. If he had genuine concerns about player welfare, there are better forums and times to raise them.
What annoys me most about his statement is the selfishness embedded in it. “I would never advise my son to play for this country” – so because the government didn’t meet his personal expectations, he’s willing to deny the country future talent? That’s like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Do some of our internationals think other countries are running charity organisations for ex-footballers? Even in Europe and America, retired athletes who mismanaged their finances end up broke. The difference is they don’t blame their countries for their poor financial decisions.
As Taribo’s drama was yet to die down, the Abuja-Kaduna train derailed. That’s one train I use regularly, so I was sad when I saw pictures of the derailed coaches. Most people who entered the train complained that it was shaking, but as usual, nobody takes anything seriously until tragedy strikes. Thank God no life was lost, but it could have been worse.
This incident perfectly illustrates our infrastructure crisis. Travelling by road is not safe because of bad roads and the real fear of being kidnapped. In the aviation sector, we have people standing in front of planes to block them, and now a train has derailed. Where now lies our hope in the transportation sector?
Maybe we need to employ the services of witches to enable us use brooms to fly to our destinations.
From initial reports, it appears the derailment was caused by vandals who stole railway tracks. Think about this – the person that stole those rails knew his action could have killed over 500 people, but he doesn’t care. That same person will probably be online abusing the government for poor infrastructure while contributing to the destruction of that same infrastructure.
This is the Nigerian paradox – we destroy what we need and then complain about the lack of it. It’s like some Nigerians manufacturing fake pharmaceuticals for children and not caring how many children are killed in the process, or adults getting liver and kidney complications because of fake drugs. They don’t care as long as they’re smiling to the bank.
The train derailment reminds us of deeper systemic problems. We have a maintenance culture that is practically non-existent. We build infrastructure and abandon it to vandals and natural decay. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) needs to invest more in track maintenance and security, but they also need Nigerians to stop stealing railway materials.
But here’s where Taribo’s complaints become even more ridiculous. While he’s busy complaining about not being taken care of by the government, our basic infrastructure is collapsing. People can’t travel safely by road, rail, or even air sometimes. Yet his priority is ensuring ex-footballers are pampered by the state.
The government has limited resources, and prioritising infrastructure that benefits millions over individual athlete welfare makes economic sense. If Taribo wants better treatment for ex-athletes, he should use his platform to advocate for structured pension schemes for sports people, not emotional blackmail.
The irony is that while Taribo is discouraging his son from playing for Nigeria, thousands of young Nigerians would give anything for that opportunity. Football remains one of the few avenues for social mobility in this country. Many players have lifted their families out of poverty through football.
Instead of discouraging patriotism, Taribo should be teaching young players financial literacy. He should be warning them about the dangers of poor money management and encouraging them to invest wisely during their playing careers.
The truth is, playing for Nigeria is still a privilege and honor. Yes, the system has flaws, and player welfare could be better, but that’s not unique to Nigeria. Even in countries with better systems, athletes must take personal responsibility for their financial futures.
As for our transportation crisis, it requires urgent government attention. The Ministry of Transportation needs to take railway security seriously and invest in regular maintenance. We can’t continue to operate critical infrastructure with fingers crossed, hoping nothing goes wrong.
The vandals destroying railway tracks should face severe punishment. When you endanger hundreds of lives for a few pieces of metal, you’re not just a thief, you’re a potential mass murderer. The law should treat such offenses accordingly.
Meanwhile, Nigerians need to change their attitudes toward public infrastructure. We must see these facilities as collective property that we all have a responsibility to protect. The person stealing railway tracks today might need to use that same train tomorrow.
Let me repeat, playing for your country is a privilege, not a path to lifetime government support. We need to stop entertaining such entitlement mentality from people who should know better.
- Nda-Isaiah is a political analyst based in Abuja and can be reached on jonesdryx@gmail.com. His syndicated column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Saturdays.