The Nigerian federal capital territory,
Abuja is prepared to host
the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She has almost all the needed facilities and the
recommendations from the awarding committee are being followed to the
letter.
Nigeria
and Africa are again surprising the world, for all those who have set foot in
Abuja, are shocked by its
cleanliness and orderliness. The Nigerian capital is a proof that, there is an
ocean between perceptions propagated by some media and the realities on the
ground. The Commonwealth Games is perhaps the most interesting games in the
World, which attracts billions who watch the games on TV, listen through the
Radio or read the unfolding events via Newspapers. The only other game that attracts
such interest and passion are the Olympics Games. But the hosting rights have
not yet been bestowed to the Nigerian capital,
Abuja,
for she is still in competition with the British Scottish city of
Glasgow.
The decision as to which city of the immensely
diverse Commonwealth will host the 20th edition of the Games in 2014,
will be decided in Colombo, Sri Lanka
on the 9th of November this year, 2007. In anticipation that, those
awarding the hosting rights will select,
Nigeria
and her capital,
Abuja, there are many reasons
and advantages why the Games should be organised in
Nigeria in 2014. One simple reason
for
Abuja to be given the hosting right is that,
the games are not meant to prop up
Nigeria’s image and prestige. Awarding
the hosting right to
Nigeria
is synonymous to awarding the entire African continent a long sort after prize
and recognition. Second, the Abuja Games will coincide with celebrations
marking the 100th years of Nigeria’s existence as a young nation,
that is finding her way, but nonetheless is managing to impose her footprint in
this modern world with all her challenges and finally, it would be grossly
unfair for the United Kingdom to have preponderant rights in hosting
Commonwealth Games.
Already the
UK has organised the events twice
in recent times. She organised the
Commonwealth Games in
Manchester,
England
2002 and in
Edinburgh,
Scotland in 1986. Since the
first Commonwealth Games that took place in
Hamilton,
Ontario,
Canada in 1930, the
Games have been held 19 times and the 19th edition took place in
Melbourne,
Australia
and the 20th edition will be held in
New Delhi,
India
in 2010. In spite the fact that, there are several African countries that are
member of the Commonwealth, thus contributing in making the 2 billion population
organisation, the most racially and religiously diverse and tolerant political
block in the world, she (
Africa) has never
been given the opportunity to organise the Games. The Commonwealth in itself, is also unique in
the fact that, she is one of the rare organisations, that puts on the same
table, the colonised and the coloniser, to discuss and work together to find
out solutions on how to improve democracy and also how to grow and build
economies that will be beneficial to the majority.
And because of the uniqueness of the
Commonwealth, she has become a magnet as demonstrated by the desire of other
African countries such as:
Algeria,
Rwanda and
Sudan
to join the Gentleman’s club. But the Commonwealth is not a grinding mill that
accepts all applicants, for she still has problems with recalcitrant and
roguish members such as
Cameroon or
Zimbabwe.
The former’s membership is on the line, because of her repeated abuses of human
right and fictitious democratic process, while the second has long been shown the
door. This show how rigid and also fair the Commonwealth is, and to support the
second trait of the organisation, awarding the hosting rights to
Abuja will only be
confirming the uniqueness of the Commonwealth. It will also show African
members of the Commonwealth that, they are part and parcel of the greatest
political organisation on earth.
Abuja is truly fit to organise the Games because the city is clean and
more, she has the infrastructure and the experience of such big events and
according to others, she doesn’t look very much an African city. Whether the
last is a compliment or not, it is important to point out that, even the rival
city has been shocked and awed by the level of preparedness of
Abuja
as confirmed by Scottish journalists who travelled to
Abuja,
Nigeria.
Even though the Scottish journalists were positively impressed and feared their
city has lost their bid, some have nevertheless resorted to finding faults,
eschewing the legendary British fairness (1). Another reason why
Abuja should be awarded the hosting rights is because, the
saying: “hosting for Africa” is not a mere slogan, for since the Commonwealth
Games began, she has almost circumnavigated the world and only
Africa has been skipped. Mindful of that and added to the
intrinsic qualities , experiences and capabilities of Abuja, support are
pouring from all parts of the globe, in particular after a visit to the city
and seeing her hosting infrastructures. One great supporter
of
Abuja, to
host the Games is a Canadian by name Paul
Taylor.
Speaking to newspapers in his native Nova
Scotia, a Canadian province, after a visit to Abuja, he said: “My impression
and conviction that, Abuja is the only one for the Commonwealth Games have been
further strengthened by my trip (2)” His is not the only one singing praise for
Abuja. There is this marvellous story from the secretary general of the Indian
Weightlifting Association, who until his visiting to
Abuja,
was afraid to travel to
Nigeria
and now, he is a new converted lover of
Abuja
and
Nigeria.
He said: “He wishes to attend the Abuja 2014 Games, if he is still alive by
then (3).” The positive notes from the Indian who thought Nigeria was hell and
Abuja the seat of the devil, who was certainly influenced by bias media reports,
follows compliments and advice from Mr Steve Stoute from Barbados and Mrs Yolanda Icela Fonseca from Belize
to the Abuja organising committee (4). Abuja 2014 Commonwealth Games hosting
bid is far from being a Nigerian affair, it is an African affair, for it will
contribute immensely to change the perception not only of
Nigeria, but the entire continent and as Paul
Taylor nicely puts it: “visiting delegates have changes of perception of
Abuja and
Nigeria
as well.”
Notes-
-1) http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=418&id=928882007
-2) http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Front/846942.html and http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=47573&sc=49
-3) The Tide
-4) http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=48&a=29039
Other website links
http://www.thecgf.com/home.asp
http://www.abuja2014.org/welcome.htm
http://www.glasgow2014.com/
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