Ignorance, official negligence fuelling drug abuse among sportsmen

Recently, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) listed Nigeria as one of the countries that have failed to comply with its measures to eliminate illegal drug use among athletes. The body blacklisted the country and threatened to ban Nigerian athletes when the case comes up after the Paris 2024 Olympics. Indeed, facts show that ignorance and official apathy to the menace have seen the rise of drug abuse among sportsmen across all disciplines, CHRISTIAN OKPARA writes.

Abubakar Umar rushed into the dressing room’s toilet a few minutes before the kick-off of his club’s National League game. He didn’t visit the Gent’s to relieve himself, rather, he went there to insert a sizable portion of aboniki (local hot balm) into his anus as most of his mates do.

The belief among players from his part of the country is that inserting that balm into their anuses makes them restless and hyperactive all through the duration of a football match. They also believe that the balm makes them fearless and able to kick anything without holding back during a game.
 
Among southern Nigerian players, smoking raw coffee has become a routine before a game. Like their northern counterparts, they also believe that smoking that raw coffee makes them restless, fearless, and able to do all manner of things in the course of a football match.
 
Across the country, youths do many ‘crazy’ things in their belief that such things aid them to churn out superlative performance in sports. Drug abuse is a widespread menace that some sportsmen indulge in not knowing the damage that the practice does to them. Because sports have become a multi-billion dollar industry, that rewards excellent athletes, many sportsmen seek ways to enhance their performance to enjoy the