SEVEN years into the Obudu International Mountain Race, many expected Nigerian runners to hold their own against foreign stars in the 2011 edition of race, but like the previous years, the local stars could only watch in awe as East Africans queued to collect the cash prizes of $50, 000 and the trophies for both the male and women categories of the competition. Why are Nigerians taking the backseat even in their own backyard' Janet Dung, Wilson Eku and Danjunma Kopkuddi, all Nigerian champions, while fielding questions from Andrew Iro Okungbowa, point at official apathy and the lack of enabling environment as the clogs in the wheel of progress. They also talked on other issues bordering on Nigerian athletics.JANET Dung was the best Nigerian female runner at the Obudu International Mountain Race, where she returned in a time of 58.20 minutes. But that was only good enough to crown her champion among the Nigerian participants. She was far from the East Africans that took the first to third positions at the race.While many of her fans were celebrating her for winning the Nigeria-only title, Dung gave the impression of somebody, who was not happy with herself. She was bitter and sad at the system that allowed foreigners to come to her country to take the pole position in events Nigerians have the resources to dominate.Dressed in a worn out outfit, Dung told The Guardian that Nigerian runners were the most neglected athletes in the long distance community. The Nigerian, she said, does not get the type of support needed to excel in the sport, adding that their poor performance in Obudu should be blamed on the lack of the enabling environment, infrastructure and support from the athletics governing body, as well as the government.According to Dung, Nigerian athletes barely survive as they lack the financial resources to take care of themselves. Most times they have to go hungry and even skip camp because they can't afford the basic requirements, she said.'Even when we eventually succeed in going for camping, it is shortened because of paucity of funds. But the foreign stars have all they require and so can afford to stay in camp for longer period and even go on foreign tours. They are taken care of by their federations and governments,' she said.To make ends meet, Dung disclosed that she had to pick up a job with the Civil Defence Corps where her monthly pay is less than N40, 000, which is not enough to take care of her family and her career.Still hopeful that the Nigerian athlete could challenge his foreign counterpart successfully, Dung called on the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to find ways of supporting talented athletes, just as she pleaded with the government to set up training facilities and camps across the country where athletes could train and camp before major competitions.Another runner, Danjuma Kopkuddi, a former Nigeria champion at the Obudu race, also pained a grim picture of the situation of things, saying if care was not taken Nigeria would not have runners even to make up the number in future events.''We don't have the resources, only a few of us can support ourselves,'' he said, adding, ''we can perform better if they put us in camp early enough and provide us with the necessary facilities and support.''With over two to three months intensive camping session, Kopkuddi believes the sky is the limit for Nigerian athletes. Besides, another critical issue, he says, is having the right coaches and athletes to train with them.In his case, he laments not having the right athletes and coaches to train with. For instance, as a long distance runner, he needs a fast training regime but what he gets is a slow training regime. This, he says, affects his performance on the circuit.'The problem is the training; I can't camp alone. I had a coach, he is a long distance coach but he is not with us anymore. If he was with us, I would have performed better,'' he grieves.The coach, Kolo Mohammed, according to Kopkuddi, is regarded as one of the best in the country. But because of the politics in the athletics federation, he was frustrated out of the system. He has returned to the classroom, and currently teaches at the University of Maiduguri, he said.He praised the Cross River State government for the sponsoring the international mountain race and urged it to continue financing the race to enable young Nigerians come through the ranks.Kopkuddi also prays that future stars would get better treatment from the federation, else Nigeria would have no one in the near future to fly its flag at major global events.For Wilson Eku, a Nigerian and European champion, the problem is a systemic one, which athletics officials over the years have continued to hold on to.Not even the present federation led by Solomon Ogba is free from blame for the country's woes in athletics. Eku accuses Ogba of turning his back on the development of long distance races, just like others before him.AFN, he said, long promised to start a programme on long distance races, but that is yet to materialise. This development, he said, is not good for the image of the game as no Nigerian can compete effectively with his foreign counterparts in the field.Eku, who did not finish among the winners at the Obudu race, said he just used it to keep in shape.However, he described the championship as very good championship that has improved a lot since the maiden edition seven years ago.As if heeding the call by the athletes, the Cross River State government at the end of the championship told journalists that it would help Nigerians with the facilities to excel, just as it planned to bid to host the World Mountain Championship in 2014.Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, told his audience, which included the President of the World Mountain Running Federation (WMRA), Bruno Gozzelini, that he would continue to support the athletes, although he admitted that the task ahead is a daunting one.Obviously happy with the stride the mountain race has made since it was introduced in 2005, Imoke said the state government would submit its bid to host the world event in Obudu at the Poland meet in 2013.As a prelude to this, the governor said that a delegation from the state would attend the 2012 meet holding in Italy to understudy the championship and popularise its bid.To this end, Imoke is eliciting for the support and encouragement of everyone to make this happen.''In 2014,I will need plenty support and encouragement,'' he said, stressing that the entire world is coming to Obudu with over 40 countries and 500 athletes in attendance.''The logistics is daunting but we are committed to delivering on 2014, as it will be the first world championship to be held in Africa,'' he said, even as he promised that the state government would give it all the push.Imoke said that huge investment needed to be made in the area of infrastructure, while revealing that preparation for the championship would commence next year with funding provided for it in the 2012 budget.According to him, the motivation for hosting the event is not only to develop the game but also to expose the Obudu Mountain Resort, which he said is under-utilized, to the world.''We have a very wonderful facility here that is still under-utilised, not yet having the desired global exposure.'In addition to the resort, Imoke said that attention would be paid to Utanga Safari Lodge as it would be upgraded and refitted to world standard in order for it to complement the resort, while the Bebi airstrip would equally be given the right attention.Communication is another challenge that the state government hopes to address at the Utanga Safari Lodge, while fixing the bad road from Ikom to Obudu is something that he hopes the federal government could assist the state in putting right before the championship.The governor also threw a challenge to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and the coaches to begin to develop talents now as the state is hosting to win.
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