REIGNING world women’s 49kg and -55kg powerlifting record holder, Esther Oyema (MON), is sad at the moment.
And the reason is that her achievements since 2010 have never been acknowledged by her state of origin, Edo, though, her heroics have earned her recognition and monetary incentives from the Federal Government.
Oyema, it will be recalled, got a silver medal for Team Nigeria at the recent Rio 2016 Paralympic when she lifted 127kg.
That was not her first time of making Edo State and Nigeria proud on the global scene.
She began her journey to stardom when she won the gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the 48kg.
The fair-skinnned lifter won another gold medal for Nigeria in the 49kg at the London 2012 Paralympic Games where she also set a world record with a lift of 135kg.
Oyema maintained her golden feat at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 61kg with a world record lift of 122.4kg.
She missed the gold medal for the first time in her career in July 2015 at the world championship after having four gold medals in her cabinet, when she settled for silver at the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open in Kazakhstan.
The world record holder reclaimed her status two months later as she won the gold in the -55kg at the 2015 All Africa Games and also set a world record with a lift of 133kg.
Her latest feat was the silver medal she clinched at the 2016 Paralympics Games with just a lift after the first and the third lifts were unsuccessful.
“I am sad that my state has not recognised me since 2010 that I have been winning laurels,” Oyema states.
“Look at the reception given to my colleagues in other states. In Imo, the governor [Rochas Okorocha] gave my colleagues Roland Ezuruike, Nwosu Ndidi and Josephine Precious a brand new car and N1million each. In Ogun, the governor [Senator Ibikunle Amosun] gave Latifat Tijani, who claimed a silver medal in Brazil N1million and training kits, while in Enugu, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi rewarded Lucy Ejike with N1million and a plot of land. So, why should my case be different?”
The 34-year-old lifter stated that she had written letters in the past through the Edo State Sports Council presenting her medals but none of it had ever been acknowledged.
“People won’t believe this, I neither got monetary reward from the state nor promotion. My colleagues in other states have been enjoying rapid promotion through their exploits. There was never a time a civic reception was organised in my honour. They are aware of all the medals I won since 2010.
“Since I came back from Brazil, I haven’t bothered to write any letter to present my medal because nothing has come out of the previous ones I wrote since 2010 when I first won the Commonwealth Games gold medal for Edo State.
“I have copies of the letters I wrote to them in the past in my files. In fact, the sports commissioner is aware of the effort I made in the past, So, I don’t need to write any letter again.
“I thank God that I have been receiving adequate motivation from the Federal Government like my other colleagues who excelled too in their chosen fields. Today, I have a national honour, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) to my name aside monetary rewards that I had received in the past for winning medals for Nigeria. How I wish my state too would appreciate me.
“Winning gives me joy and despite losing the gold medal at Rio 2016 to Amalia Perez of Mexico, my joy is that my world record of 133kg which I set at Congo Brazzaville 2015 remains intact. My world record in the 49kg is yet to be broken, that gives me joy at all times,” Oyema said.
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