Gov Otu Makes Ex-Olympian, ‘Ironbar’ Bassey Smile Again
- Offers immediate employment
- My joy knows no bounds – Bassey
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – After years of wallowing in penury as a forgotten national sports hero, help has certainly come the way of ex-Olympian and former Super Heavyweight Weightlifting bronze medallist at the 1982 Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane, Australia, Etim Patrick “Ironbar” Bassey.
It is now all smiles for ‘Ironbar’, who, for several years, lived on the streets of Lagos, thanks to the measured steps being taken by Governor Bassey Edet Otu of Cross River State to rehabilitate the 58-year-old former athlete.
Signs of good fortunes for ‘Ironbar’ emerged inside the temporary Governor’s Office in Calabar, as he met with Governor Otu, accompanied by some State officials led by the Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem recently.
Confessing to being touched by the dire straits and hardship faced by ‘Ironbar’ Bassey, who as a patriotic citizen contributed to putting the state and Nigeria on the global sporting map, the Governor said coming to his aid, though long overdue, was the right thing to do.
He said; “I am touched by the situation you (Ironbar) have found yourself and it is the right thing to bring you back home and get you something to do. What matters now is the legacy you have created. So, forget all that you have gone through and look to the future.”
“This administration is here to see you back on track and contribute to sports development in our state. We will rehabilitate you. You are to see the Commissioner of Sports for immediate employment where you find fit so that you can be meaningfully engaged. I wish you the best,” the governor said.
In his intervention, Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Ayambem, while giving a background on the event, said following a resolution by the State Assembly, he led a team to Lagos where they located “Ironbar” and persuaded him to return home as directed by Governor Otu.
The Speaker applauded the governor for always putting the people first, expressing confidence that with his exemplary conduct, many more abandoned athletes would be found by their respective states and given due recognition..
Reacting to the State Government’s kind gesture, ‘Ironbar’ Bassey expressed gratitude to Governor Otu and the Cross River people for remembering him in these very trying times.
He said his happiness and joy know no bounds for being “found and given another opportunity at dignity and recognition” by the governor.
Bassey ‘Ironbar’ first came into the national sporting limelight as a weightlifter at the 1981 Lagos Sports Festival where he won a gold medal and followed it up with another gold medal at the National Festival Sports in Benin City that same year.
Thereafter, he went on to compete at the African Weightlifting Championships in Port Saeed, Egypt winning three gold medals in the process. His reputation as a promising lifter was further cemented at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games where he won a bronze medal for Nigeria.
However, fate had other plans for him at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles where he had a torn muscle ligament with his participation and medal hopes at the global sports carnival suddenly cut short.
He would go on to spend a fortune on medical bills that hugely drained his resources. With no help in sight and battling to make ends meet, life became a struggle for ‘Ironbar’ who readily embraced menial jobs in Lagos.
To eke out a living, the ex-Olympian turned to voluntary filling of potholes, directing traffic, and general maintenance of roads around the Ajah area of Lagos State until this humanitarian intervention by the Cross River State government.
