By Oru Leonard 

As the curtain fell on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nigeria’s Sports Development Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, stood before the nation with a heavy heart. The country’s performance, he acknowledged, had fallen woefully short of expectations.

With a deep sense of responsibility, Nigeria’s Sports Development Minister Senator John Owan Enoh (JOE), apologised to Nigerians, his voice laced with regret. “We should have done better,” he conceded. “Our objectives, hopes, and dreams were left unfulfilled.”

But amidst the disappointment, the Minister refused to shy away from the challenges that lay ahead. He reflected on the daunting task he faced when assuming office in August 2023 – four international competitions, including the Olympics, in a matter of months.

Preparations for the Games, he revealed, had not begun when he took the helm. Undeterred, Senator Enoh rallied his team, and together, they worked tirelessly to make up for lost time.

Recall that in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, he made Sports Development a stand alone ministry in recognition that the sports sector should be considered in the scheme of national consideration for economic gains for the country. The President is few months above one and his Ministers are just one year in office.

Though the Olympic dreams remained elusive, the Minister’s eyes were fixed on the future. The Paralympic Games, scheduled for August 28 to September 8, offered a chance for redemption.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Senator Enoh vowed to learn from the mistakes of the past. “We will regroup, recharge, and come back stronger,” he promised. The journey to redemption had begun, and Nigerians, though disappointed, held onto hope.

*Oru Leonard Oru (frpa, mnim), is the CEO of Oru Media & Associates, a Media, Advertising and Business Development Practitioner and the publishers of News Dot Africa online Newspapers. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria.