THE OMO OLOORE STORIES
STORY 2: THE BOYS THAT DISAPPEARED
During my time as the Commissioner for Youth and Sport in Oyo State between 2011-2013, there was a National Academical Sports Committee (NASCOM) competition for U17 football players.
Oyo State had an U-17 team at the time and so, the various U-17 teams all over Nigeria came over to the State and participated in the competition.
The Oyo State team won the competition and as a result were invited to a Football Clinic in South Carolina,U.S.A.
Once we got the invitation, I began to work towards getting approval and necessary funds to make going to South Carolina happen. Then, we applied for visas for everyone scheduled to travel and we got a positive response from the embassy; some members of the Oyo State Sport Council were billed to go with the team and so was I.
So,sometimes in August 2012,the team and the other officials went ahead while I joined them days later.
After their first training at the camp, the boys retired to the hotel where they were to spend the night.I couldn’t see them immediately after their first training as I had arrived South Carolina that day,jet lagged; and so I went to the hotel I was lodged at straight from the airport.
The next morning, I went to their hotel to motivate them and that day they had a good outing during the first friendly match.
Then came the third day and I was greeted with an unexpected news. I was informed that they woke up and discovered that two members of the team could not be accounted for.
We were worried about what may have happened to the boys and we reached out to every relevant authority that we needed to lodge a complaint with. It was during the process of investigation that it was discovered through the CCTV footage of the hotel how the boys sneaked out in the middle of the night.
The first thing that got me worried was, these are boys that were teenagers, where do they know in the US that they are going to? These boys did not have their international passports with them, as the Ministry officials that had accompanied them were in possession of the passports and so I was really troubled at the kind of desperation that would have made these boys make such a daring move without any means of identification on them or any means to return to Nigeria if they wanted to.
As investigation progressed, we found out that, before they left Nigeria, they’d been in contact with certain people who had assured them that they would help them run away and also provide all they’d need to start a new life in the US.
To cut the long story short, till we returned to Nigeria, we never found the boys. It was a big embarrassment to us. After we’d reported the incident to all relevant authorities and we couldn’t be staying on just like that, we had to return home with the rest of the contingent.
Their passports remained with the ministry officials throughout.
Guess what – after we returned to Nigeria, some people that I know began to reach out to me pleading that the passports of the boys be released.
By running away, these boys had committed an offence, embarrassed the State and the country in the process so I was shocked that anyone would come and plead that I should release their passports, to begin with.They said that I shouldn’t blame the boys, after all they were Oyo State indigenes who had only gone in search of greener pastures.
The people who came to make the request then began to add subtle blackmail to their requests by saying that not releasing their passport may stand against me if I ever ran for any office in the State; that I might need the families of these boys in the future during elections and so for those reasons I should let the passport be given back to them.I DIDNT SUCCUMB TO THE BLACKMAIL.
Being in public office is challenging, the same people criticizing you in office are the ones who would also mislead you if care is not taken.
YOU WILL FACE TEMPTATIONS,YOU WILL BE BLACKMAILED AND CRITICIZED UNJUSTLY, while the unfortunate thing is that the people you are striving to serve diligently will join the crowd to criticize you.At some point you will be helpless and if care is not taken,you will cave in and join the bandwagon to do what is not right.
(join me every Wednesday at 6pm, as I share with you personal stories from my journey so far and the lessons I have learned from them)
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