The first Nigerian to win a medal at the Olympic Games, Nojimudeen Maiyegun, has been buried.
He was buried in Vienna, Austria without the presence of a Federal Government delegation or officials of the Nigerian mission in Austria.
Maiyegun, a brave boxer who possessed a deadly left punch in his fighting days, opened the way for Nigeria in the Olympic Games with the bronze medal he won in Tokyo, Japan in 1964.
A Nigerian living in Austria described the treatment meted to the 83-year-old retired boxer by the Nigerian government as a national shame because the body was buried “with a borrowed Green-and-Green Nigerian National Flag”.
He wrote: “Attention: Presidency (Aso Rock Villa) Nigeria Federal Ministry of Sports
Nigeria Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria has neglected another National hero in death.
Nojim Maiyegun, the first ever Nigerian citizen to win an Olympics medal was buried in Vienna, Austria like a nobody to the extent that the Nigerian flag used in covering his coffin was borrowed.
The question that came to mind was “Is Nigeria worth dying for?”
“Not even a condolence book was opened for him at the Nigerian Mission in Austria. We demand an immediate apology by the Federal Government of Nigeria, a belated message of condolence to the family of the late legend, and a posthumous National honour.
“It is worth mentioning that the only government agency that sent a condolence message to the family of the deceased was NIDCOM (Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa)”.
