Bassey Otu, the governor of Cross Rivers State on Tuesday, September 12, hosted a former Nigerian athlete, Etim Patrick ‘Ironbar’ Bassey, at the Government House as he promised to initiate comprehensive rehabilitation plans for the sportsman.

It was gathered that Ironbar, who represented Nigeria in the men’s super-heavyweight weightlifting event at the 1984 Summer Olympics Games in Los Angeles, USA, could not achieve his aim of becoming a Gold medalist due to injury.

Commending Governor Otu on his decision to rehabilitate Etim, a public affairs analyst, Deyemi Saka, said that Ironbar was brought to his consciousness some months ago through a viral video.

Saka said: “This is not a case of rehabilitation of a man who has squandered his goodwill and fortune, it is an account of a man unlucky, and neglected by those who ought to acknowledge his contributions to society and adequately compensate him. It is a clear departure from most stories we read about our athletes or sports personalities who surely mismanaged their fortunes.

“Etim Patrick ‘Ironbar’ Bassey, while representing Nigeria in the men’s super-heavyweight weightlifting event at the 1984 Summer Olympics Games in Los Angeles, USA, his only desire was to clinch a gold medal. He was a very rare hope for Nigeria to clinch his first-ever gold medal at the Olympics till disaster struck. Stating Bassey was a gold medal hopeful is not out of place as he had has won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in weightlifting, won back-to-back gold medals at two National Sports festivals, participated in the African Weightlifting Championships in Port Saeed, Egypt in 1981 and won three Gold Medals, so expecting a medal especially a good medal was in line with his progression.

“Records have it that while competing at the Olympics representing Nigeria, Bassey felt a pain in one of his legs, and a medical examination showed thereafter that he had a thorn muscle, something that effectively ended his Olympic sojourn. This means all his dreams were aborted at 29 as the injury also meant that the scholarship at the University of Southern California to play American football, was gone with the wind.

“Typical of successive administrators of Sport in Nigeria over the years, he was abandoned after he sustained the injury while representing the country, while he ploughed his personal savings of more than $25,000 (twenty-five thousand dollars) into seeking medical help. After a successful surgery in America, he ran out of money and it was the beginning of a sad chapter of his life. After a second surgery, taking several jobs, and a failed marriage; he returned to Nigeria in 2004.

He further stated: “Etim Patrick Bassey was brought to our consciousness some months ago when a video of him engaging in voluntary road rehabilitation work along the Addo-Badore road went viral. He was handed a cash gift of fifty thousand naira by the recorder of the incident who called on Nigerians, the federal government, and the Cross Rivers State Government to assist him (Bassey) by rehabilitating him as we are about humanity.

“It seems the call was lost on Nigerians, and both the Federal Government and Cross Rivers State Government until yesterday(12/09/2023) when Governor Bassey Otu of Cross Rivers State hosted Etim Patrick Bassey and initiated comprehensive rehabilitation plans for him.  For a state and an administration whose mantra is “peoples first”, this is worthy of commendation and congratulations to “Ironbar”. I, and I believe Etim Patrick is eternally grateful to the man who did the recording and identified as @_egungun for bringing this matter to our attention.  Getting back on his feet is surely the greatest “Gold Medal” Etim will ever win.”