You could almost lose count if you said you wanted to list Nigerians who should be living their best lives, having ‘paid their dues’. Many times, the stories of these individuals are read again years after we all forgot they even existed. Or….how many names do we remember from Nigerians who went home with medals at the last Olympics?

We could blame the government – rightly so – but governance is not one-sided. It includes a leadership and followership. Many times, the latter is ignored and citizens spend the whole tenure of a leader demanding and not following. But that’s not today’s conversation.

Ahmed Musa made it his responsibility to uplift the life situation of a fellow athlete, because he has the ability to. And, this is not the first time a relatively forgotten athlete’s story has reached the ears of a Samaritan who takes up the responsibility.

We have heard stories of actors, singers, athletes, individuals from the corporate world who, naturally, should be living comfortable but are only trying to survive the next day.

Kingsley Obiekwu, 47, is a retired Nigerian footballer who played as a defender. He represented Nigeria at international level and was a member of the squad which won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He coached Ingas F.C. of Enugu, Nigeria, between 2009 and 2013, after a brief stint with Benin side, USS Kraké.

He was ‘found’ by a fellow Nigerian, a broadcast journalist, Okwuluora, working as driver in Enugu.

Kingsley Obiekwu’s story adds to a pattern of intentional neglect.

Former Nigerian 100 metres hurdler, Taiwo Aladefa urged sports administrators to engage the services of veteran coaches who produced the golden generation of Nigerian athletes.

Aladefa said that it was because persons like Tony Urhobo, Harrison Momoh and Tobias Igwe, who were the ones who discovered and nurtured the best athletes in the 1980’s and 90’s have been sidelined that the country’s fortunes in the sports have dwindled, especially in the men’s category.

Many Nigerian athletes have since passed on and their names are not recorded anywhere as heroes. It is activities like Okwuluora’s that reintroduce these athletes into our conversation. If you asked the Nigerian Athletic Federation what may be the cause, you may be met with surprised faces. The Nigerian Football Federation may tell you that they have bigger problems to take care of. There’s a Ministry of Sports in existence too.

This is the reality of being a hero in Nigeria. Kingsley Obiekwu is one of many. How long before we start recognising efforts like Obiekwu’s?

Meanwhile, this is a collective effort.

Thanks to social media, huge amount of monies have been raised to help other people, imagine if we did that with forgotten heroes.

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram