Deathis inevitable. But when it comes calling at dawn, at an hour too soon to lose a gem, the pain becomes unbearable. Such was the state the Nigerian sports
scene found itself on Tuesday when the country learnt of the death of former African and world champion, Sunday Bada.

The morning of Tuesday, December 13 could have been like any other but at the National Stadium in Lagos, the atmosphere was melancholy. Not surprisingly so because the former 400 metres specialist spent some of his last moments there on Monday evening.

According to his former colleague, Yusuf Alli, Bada had left the stadium to meet his wife at the airport but instead went to his cousin at Jibowu when he noticed his failing health. The cousin took him to a clinic where he gave up the ghost. The cause of death had yet to be ascertained but the loss has left a vacuum in the athletics world.

Between 1989 and 2001 when the Kwara State-born track star represented Nigeria at the world level, he was consistent with winning medals. Besides winning individual medals at the All Africa Games in 1991 and 1995 in 200m and 400m events, he was a part of the Nigerian team that won silver in the 4x400m relay at Sydney 2000 Olympics where they set a national record of 2:58:68. 

His feat in athletics endeared him to the Nigeria Police where he rose to become a Divisional Police Officer.

As the Technical Director of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Bada had thought he could bring some change to the sport – change he desired but could not get as an athlete. To him, it would have been a dream to see Nigerian athletes prepare with the world-class facilities and beating the Jamaicans and the Americans on the tracks.

It was also his dream to see the Sydney 2000 Olympic 4x400m gold given to Nigeria after the American team were disqualified for drug use. He did not see any of these happen.

“I see myself as an Olympic gold medallist even though the medals have not been given to us which I think is due to the politics of the game,” he had said in an interview.

“I’ve paid my dues just like many other sportsmen in Nigeria. Some of us deserve to be in the Hall of Fame for our feats. They (athletes) won medals for the country on a number of occasions; historians will always put their names in the books when stories are told.”

Bada once said he retired from athletics when it was apparent the Nigerian system could not help him achieve his dream of becoming world’s best. When he said he would make a change, he actually meant influencing the National Sports Commission to make new policies that will financially empower athletes.

He once aspired to become the AFN president but later ceded to Solomon Ogba. He described the move as the best for the sports, saying, “We were of the opinion that the position should be occupied by a person who has been in the sport as an athlete and understands all the problems of the sport. But we realised that the sport does not just need a technical person, it also needs someone who has the financial capacity to cope with the problem of the sport. The government cannot fund the sport alone so we needed someone who could bring sponsors to the sport.”

He added, “Most of the time, I feel bad that I cannot do much about these problems. I think we also have the problem of misplaced priorities in
the country and that affects our
budgetary system. We tend to run sports like every other government agencies. We have not addressed sports to conform to the programme of the international calendar. Our formula for the past 10 years has
not been working for us; it has drawn us back and until we are ready to implement a good programme, we might not get it right.”

On the athletes, he said, “Some of the athletes employed by the different states sports councils are out of job because they are no longer considered as materials for the National Sports Festival. While the sports councils are now concentrating on the athletes that are eligible for National Sports Festival, the NSC is thinking of those that are eligible for the country. That leaves those not qualified out of job. I think the solution to this problem is for the NSC to reconsider its policies on the sports festivals. We should have a festival strictly for the junior while another festival will be for the senior and open to all categories. The situation will create the opportunity for states to engage the services of the best professional athletes to represent them.”

His dreams for Nigerian athletics are left unfulfilled while his demise is seen as creating a vacuum that would be difficult to fill in the sports world.

Olympic gold medallist, Chioma Ajunwa, could not understand how Bada could die at such a young age. Her voice crackled on the telephone, betraying her sombre mood as she lamented the loss of a fellow police officer.

She said, “He was a legend. He was great as an athlete and as an administrator. The vacuum he has created will be difficult to fill because he worked like no other person would have. His passion and commitment to athletics have helped the sport grow, and no one can deny his relevance in Nigerian athletics.

“I’m still in shock and I found it hard to believe that he is gone; I had to be at the mortuary to see the remains myself. God understands why it had to be this early for him.”

Before leaving for the clinic, Bada had been with his friend, Alli, at the stadium to discuss the agenda for the J.K Randle Dinner for Olympians which was held on Tuesday.

Alli, a national record holder in long jump, was short of words as he tried to describe his shock at losing a friend.

“I don’t know what to say. It was too sudden. One moment, we were together at a meeting, the next I learnt he has died. How do you grapple with that?” Alli said.

“I don’t know of any other sportsman in Nigeria that excelled like Bada. His whole being was about making athletics great and changing the face of Nigerian sports. We’ve lost a gem.”

Although the cause of death is yet unknown, Bada had once admitted that he had stress in the police job.

“When I was an athlete, I understood what physical stress was but now I understand what mental stress is. I used to think those who complained of mental stress were lazy but now I know better,” he said.

-Punch

Posted by admin on Dec 13 2011. Filed under National Politics, Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry