2016 Paralympics Gold medalist, Lauritta Onye said Nigeria does not have regard for individual athletes who have won medals for the country at the highest sporting competition.
Onye made the comments while reacting to the hosting of D’Tigress by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The 2015 IPC Athletics World Champion said she’d been in tears since yesterday (Wednesday) after watching the nation’s President host the triumphant female basketball team sidelining other medalist.
She lamented that Nigeria is not helping matters by focusing only on team sports, adding that others should be treated with dignity.
“It’s seems that our government don’t value the disabled. I’m not criticizing basketballers or against their reward for good performance; let our government do the right thing at the right time”, Onye told ACLSports.com
“What of individuals that broke World Records at the 2016 Rio Paralympics that the country participated in? We went to Rio, not only winning gold but broke World Records. The ladies won the Afro basketball Championship and got hosted by the minister and President immediately. This is unfair to others.”
“The hosting is painful. Does this mean they are not going to take care of the people that are winning individual medals consistently? Are they not interested in us anymore? Let them tell us”, an emotional Onye disclosed.
“The country does not have regard for us. Nigeria don’t need the best and don’t appreciate our patriotic efforts. Our country is not looking for the best any longer. This is a sentimental hosting as long as I’m concerned. I could not sleep yesterday, I’ve been in tears after watching the ladies shake hands with our President”.
Lauritta Onye won gold medals at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha and 2016 Rio Paralympics in the F40 classification throwing events (shot put) respectively.
