As a global icon of unusual modesty, the name of Azumah Nelson always reverberates with inspiration for very obvious reasons.
He always taught us very useful lessons for people never to get carried away by the level of their fame at any given time. More than that, he always reminded us of the wisdom in never forgetting where we start from in life.
Even when he ruled the world for over a decade and succeeded in taming some of the world's most gritty warriors, it was all done in a manner that simply defied comprehension. By his exemplary conduct as a sportsman, Azumah won our respect and admiration as a country.
The country acknowledged its debt of gratitude to Azumah for the fame and pride he brought it as, arguably, the greatest African boxer of all time. The honour the country decided to do the legend was to name the Kaneshie Sports Complex after him during the Kufuor administration
The massive endorsement the decision received nationwide was indicative of how the country looked forward to deriving maximum benefits from the multi-purpose facility. If for nothing at all, Ghanaians strongly felt that the attachment of a legend's name to the place would always make people sit up as far as maintenance of the complex was concerned.
Years on, however, whatever dream the Azumah Nelson Complex represented at the time the honour was conferred on the legend is no longer anything to hold on to. Today the Azumah Nelson Complex reflects an unmistakeable picture of criminal neglect.
Whatever state the facility is in now is very much in tune with our bad maintenance culture that has always almost led to the 'destruction' of very significant national monuments, a case in point being how the original Flagstaff House, the residence of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was allowed to decay into near extinction until it was rehabilitated by the Kufuor administration.
I can't help getting overwhelmed by heart-rending emotions anytime I recollect the inexplicable state of disrepair I found the residency of the First Republic in when I visited there with some colleagues from the Graphic Communications Group Limited in the late nineties. Apart from the main structure of Osagyefo's residence, every movable item in it had been looted.
The once-prestigious Meridian Hotel at Tema suffered a similar fate of shameful state neglect. Those who were entrusted with the running of the place stood aside and looked on while it slipped into a state of disuse and deterioration.
Times without number we have tended to behave like some irresponsible parents in this country, the birth of whose children is always marked by pomp and pageantry. Once the naming ceremony is performed, what becomes of the children's future is of no concern to them.
When Azumah recently spoke about his pain in relation to how the complex named after him had been neglected, and his intention to ask the authorities to remove his name from it, it was a natural reaction to a heart-breaking let-down by one's country. In other words, this is not how to immortalize an icon.
We need not be reminded about what impact a fully refurbished Azumah Nelson Sports Complex can make on Ghana's sports development, at least in the capital.
It's a shame that a national asset like the complex is in such a deplorable state for want of resources provided by the state for its maintenance. This is a task that must be undertaken with a sense of urgency.
The truth that must be told is that the Estate Department of the National Sports Authority has what it takes to turn things around at the complex, but that can only happen when funding is forthcoming for the job.
It's time to take concrete steps to restore the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex for the purpose for which it was built to be realised. Giving the place out for funerals and parties should never supersede the original vision.
