I didn’t forgive Obasanjo for Montreal Olympics boycott - Adebanji

It was a mixed feeling for Adebanji, who was recently honoured alongside other athletes at the Diplomacy Wall of Fame which was footed by Chief Allen Onyeama, the CEO of Air Peace.

The honour, according to Adebanji, who was a member of 4 × 100 metres relay, men’s team, after 47 years of neglect, was a closure of anger he harboured for years.

“I’m very, very happy that we were finally honoured. After 47 years, that someone took the time to honour us after what happened 47 years ago. I’m ecstatic and really happy to be here for this occasion because this is like a closure for me. I’m very emotional. This is my Olympics. This is my Olympics medal which I lost in 76,” Adebanji told NationSport.

Leaving 1976 Montreal Olympics was devastating to the entire team and how they were badly treated when they returned to the country from the event was a bitter pill to swallow for Adebanji and his colleagues.

“We cried from Canada all the way to Nigeria in the plane because everyone of us knew what we lost; we had one of the best teams in the world going into the Olympics that year and in one night, everything vanished,” he said. “There was nothing we could do.

“We had to honour the President who asked us to pull out and that was what we did, but the bad thing is, you know, we came back to the country and the government just dumped everybody.

“They didn’t look back to even console anyone of us. A lot of people went to their graves bitter because of this issue.

“So that’s why a lot of people didn’t want to come when this idea came up but when we realised that the Air Peace CEO Chief Allen Onyeama went out of his way to honour us, so we had to give him the honour,” he noted.

The then 19-year-old Adetunji was a member of 4 × 100 metres relay, men’s team and they had the best of preparation going to the Olympics. He was in the team with the likes of Ruks Bazunu, Edward Ofili (late), Mark Olomu and Chuks Abigide.

“I made the team to 4 × 100 metres relay, men’s team and making the team to the Olympics in any country is not a joke,” he recalled. “I was 19 years old then. I just came out of high school at the Ondo Grammar School about a year before the Olympics and I went straight to the camp.

“We were in camp for about a year and a half preparing for the Olympics which the country doesn’t do anymore. That’s why we had the best team this country has ever produced.

“We have to honour the call to boycott the event when the country called and we don’t have choice but to honoured the call. So it wasn’t our call personally but it was the country that asked us to pull out then we followed the command.”

Adebanji was at his peak when Nigeria’s contingent left for Olympic Games but the team’s inability to compete at the greatest sports showpiece brings to an end any Olympic medal hopeful for him as he never had the opportunity to make the team to the Olympics again.

“I made the team in 1984 but I got injured and was dropped from the team. In 1980, I self-boycott the Olympics. I did not come home for trials. I decided to stay away from the Olympics in 1980 but in 1984 I made the team but I got injured and I didn’t compete either. I was dropped from the team so I never made it to any other Olympics again after 1976 Montreal Olympics in Canada.

“So after 1984 Olympics that was it and I retired in 1986 from competitions,” an emotional Prince from Ondo said.

Although, he missed a chance to be an Olympian as well as being a Commonwealth Games medallist, Adebanji represented Nigeria in African Games and World University Games.

He said: “I participated in a lot of competitions. I represented Nigeria in African Games in 1978, African Championship in 1979, World University Games but it was only Commonwealth Games I did not represent Nigeria. I don’t know why but I couldn’t. Every time I made the team to Commonwealth Games, we always boycott. Also in 1978 we boycotted Commonwealth Games after boycotting Olympics in 76. We went to African Games in 1978 and after African Games in Algeria; we were supposed to go to Canada for Commonwealth Games in 1978. We were at the Airport to go to Canada when they called us and said everybody should go back home, again.”

Forgiving President Olusegun Obasanjo for boycotting 1976 Olympics has been very difficult for Adebanji who still feels that his chance of doing something great at the global stage was truncated due to that decision.

He said: “To tell you the truth, I didn’t forgive Obasanjo for what happened because I knew deep down if I had competed, I would have won medal. Our relay team was one of the best in the world that year. I was so sure that we were going to win a medal but since we didn’t participate that was it.

“So, I missed out on the Olympics. Things were though, you know. It really affected every one of us that went to the Olympics in 1976. We didn’t do anything else fantastic in track and field because that is how it affected all of us.

“Charlton Ehizuelen was number one in the world in triple jump and long jump going to the Olympics; that was sure two gold medals. His life wasn’t the same after 1976 Olympics.

“The effects of the 1976 Montreal Olympics boycott really affected all of us. You know, but life goes on.

“Thank God I’m alive today and I’m here today for this award. I really appreciate it and I’m so sure everybody here including the footballers and swimmer are very happy. We had one swimmer that year and we had three boxers.”

However, Adebanji believes that the honour accorded the team by Chief Allen Onyeama, the CEO of Air Peace, has erased the memory of 1976.

“Well, it’s a closure for all of us because you know in the meeting prior to the event in Lagos, if you had seen it, It was just like a rewind of what happened in 1976 when we were coming back from Olympics when everybody was crying. A lot of people were crying at the meeting.

While Chief Allen Onyeama deemed it fit to honour the team Adebanji doesn’t believe Nigerian Government would do the same to. To him, they didn’t care then and now.

“I don’t think the Nigerian government would do that because if they really wanted to, they would have done it before now. They don’t care. The only way Nigeria will move forward is when we take politics out of sports. As long as there’s politics in sports, Nigeria is not going to go anywhere.”

After quitting athletics, Adebanji coached free briefly tinkering Mary Onyali and her group before he left the scene.

He said: “I was working. I actually coached a little bit and after the people that I coached finished from University. I stopped coaching. I was doing it for free. I wasn’t being paid for it. I was doing it just to help during the time of Mary Onyali and her group and her set. I was working with them with the sprinters.”

The American-based former athlete still believe Nigeria have abundance of talents in the country that can make the nation proud if properly nurtured. He is of the opinion that the government needs to create an enabling environment for the athletes for them to be able to compete well at the global stage.

“Well, the talent is still there in this country. It is just that to improve the talents the government needs to do something. Look at how many percentages of athletes from Nigeria going to represent other countries. This wasn’t done before because those days we did it for the love of the country not for the money.

“These days, all these kids don’t stay if you don’t take good care of them. They will go to other countries that will do that for them but we didn’t do that. We stayed because we love our country Nigeria. I still love the country despite what they did. I still love this country. So that just it. For me, this is a closure for me. This is my Olympics medal right here. You know, I thank God that somebody at least had the courage to do this for us. So and I pray that God continue to guide him, to protect him, and to expand his will.”

He insisted that the future of athletics in Nigeria is bright.

“I mean the future is good. It’s just that you know the athletes needs to take their time. All these drug issues now is getting too much. I mean, it’s not necessary. In Nigeria, we have talents. We can do all these things without using any substances because it is really affecting the country right now because all eyes are on Nigerians right now and which is not too good,” he said.

Similarly, Adebanji craved for an enabling environment for young athletes to thrive so that they can be proud to represent the country.

“All they need to do is to repair the image of sports in Nigeria,” he said.“I went to US in 1976 after the Olympics. I had several scholarships from US; so I went to University with a scholarship over there.

“Thank God I used my talent to get education, so I was competing and getting my education at the same time. Unlike kids of these days, they don’t want to go to school but to make money.

“During our time, I’m not saying money is not important but love of the sports is number one for me. If the money comes so be it but I was satisfied despite that I had a scholarship from my school in US.

“The Federal Government gave me scholarship here too for four years. I appreciated that and it was enough for me so I don’t have to be looking here and there for money because what I was getting from the government was enough for me but children of these days if you don’t take care of them they go to another country where they get paid. Sometimes, you can’t blame them.”

Speaking about sports facilities in the country, he revealed: “Let me tell you we did not have facilities during those periods. In 1976, it was just the mental issue. We didn’t have facilities. We started having facilities after our set that was when they started building stadiums.

“I finished school in 74, then I moved to Lagos. I went to Ondo Grammar School where we didn’t have stadium, no track in my school but yet I was the best male athlete in the West from 1970-74. I did not lose any race in 100m or 400m or any relay in 4-5 years.

“So it was when I finished and I moved to Lagos. I trained at the National Stadium, Lagos,” he recalled.