Celebrated Japanese plastic surgeon, Katsuya Takasu, declared his intention to reward the Nigerian football team for their performance in the Rio Olympic games, in spite of several hurdles they faced along the way. The benefactor has promised a bonus of $30,000 to each Nigerian player should they win gold at the Rio 2016 men’s Olympic football tournament in Brazil. He offered to give $20,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze after hearing about their financial woes.
“I read about the financial problems affecting the team and I felt the need to make a big contribution,” Takasu told BBC Sport.
“I am not doing this for media attention but to motivate a team with an indomitable spirit. I fell in love with the Nigerian team because despite all these problems, they are in the quarter-finals of the Olympics.”
“Whether they win or not, I will still donate something to help alleviate the challenges in paying their bonuses and allowances.”
The team, commonly referred to as ‘Dream Team VI,’ arrived in Rio a mere 5 hours before their first game of the tournament, as they were held up in Atlanta, because of confusion with their tickets. Despite this, the 1996 Olympic champions recorded an opening day 5-4 win over Japan. Nigeria also had a troubled build up to its 2-0 win over Denmark in Salvador. The players boycotted a training session in a dispute over pay and almost missed their flight to the venue due to a delay at their hotel over unpaid accommodation bills. The Nigeria Olympic team have now received their camp allowances from the government, according to the team’s media officer Timi Ebikagboro.”The sports ministry has cleared all camp allowances of the team in Brazil. Players and officials have now been paid 22 days allowances,” said Ebikagboro.
While many Nigerians are in awe at this seemingly selfless deed of a foreigner, others are wondering why and what he demands in return. Takasau insists that he has no ulterior motives and the 71-year-old has a philanthropic past. Immediately after the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, which killed 6,434 people and injured 43,792, Takasu established the Organization of Cosmetic Surgery Volunteers in cooperation with surgeons from 9 other clinics. The organisation offered plastic and reconstructive treatment to the earthquake victims for free. Perhaps, Nigeria’s victory over his home country Japan only hours after arriving in Rio moved him to this act of generousity.
The ‘indomitable’ spirit of the players seems to have caught the attention of a philanthropist far, far away and Nigerians are asking why it took a foreigner to alleviate the plight of their players. Where are homegrown multi-millionaires and billionaires in their athletes’ well-documented time of need?
Rio Olympics: Dangote, others missing as Japanese billionaire offers broke Nigeria mega-money rewards https://t.co/abBtDjpHXt
— 高須克弥 (@katsuyatakasu) August 15, 2016
Here are a few reasons why ‘the system’ could be partly to blame for the indifference of the wealthy one percent twardso the plight of their athletes.
It could be the case that the mega wealthy have become desensitised to these situations. When you visit Nigeria for the first time and witness the disheartening sight of beggars on the street, most of us are moved to give generously. However, with time, one becomes desensitised to the sights we see everyday. It may be that we are seeing a similar phenomenon but in a different setting.
In 2013, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, donated N130 million to the Nigerian football team for qualifying for the semi final stage of the African cup of nations. Similarly, in 2012, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswilll Akpabio, gave a sum of N10 million to the country’s under 17 team. These benefactors may have failed to repeat the gesture several years later because the plight of the athletes is not a one off but the norm. Thus, it is more likely that a foreigner looking in may be more inclined to donate generously than someone who is part and parcel of the system. The government and relevant agencies need to take that first step by investing smartly in all levels of the sporting sector. When this is done and Nigerians perceive the country to be changing its course, then will they may be more willing to chip in with contributions.
