Not yet Uhuru, beware!
Permit me to quickly sound a note of warning. Let him who thinks he is standing beware lest he fall. This is absolutely necessary now, because of recent developments within the football fraternity in Nigeria. Yes, thank God for the court cases going on. Many Nigerians are happy and excited that the judiciary is doing a wonderful job.
The truth, however, remains that a lot of people are also totally against recent court decisions. They have become wounded lions, very dangerous to deal with.
They can also be likened to lepers, who only need to patiently wait for their enemies to fill their barrels with milk, and with just one leprous finger dipped into the barrel, render the milk entirely useless, not fit for human consumption.
Please take a close look at the warning statement again. He thinks he is standing, he may not actually be standing, but because of the spirit of deception, he thinks so. He may actually be standing, as it were, but on a bobby trap, a land mine or miry clay, and just one attempt to move from the spot will result in utter destruction. That is why the word of God sounds that warning. Beware!!! This message is specifically for those of us patriotic Nigerians, who have been engaged in the war against voodoo-ism, match-fixing, pride, corruption, moral decadence and injustice – to mention just a few of such vices that have eaten deep into the fabric of sports, especially football in Nigeria. To all of you who have been genuinely praying for the restoration of the lost glory of Nigerian sports, all of you who have shed tears, all of you who have lost a loved one – women who are now widows, children who are now fatherless, athletes who have been used and dumped or left to wallow in pain or penury, simply because of the gross ineptitude of greedy and insensitive sports managers and administrators, beware. It is not yet ‘Uhuru’. But there is an assurance of victory.
Looking into the future
In a column published in NEXT of December 29, 2009, I mentioned inter-alia, in the last two paragraphs of the column thus: “the year 2010 is loaded…the implication is that we are likely to experience a lot of distractions…there will be a lot of “ilabeism” (corruption). Bulging stomachs will get bigger. But there is good news for the lovers of sports in this country. The year 2010 will be the beginning of the end of the vices militating against sports in this great nation. Remember, it is the jubilee anniversary of Nigeria and God will surely rescue this nation from the grips of the enemies of Nigerian sports.
Darkness will never overcome light.
Well, to God be all the glory. Will any right-thinking Nigerian claim not to see God at work again in Nigeria? We do not need anyone to tell us that this is just the tiniest finger of the Almighty God at work. His tiniest finger, I want to repeat, for emphasis. Not even His hand. Meaning that we haven’t seen anything yet, because by the time real shaking commences, I am sure God-fearing Nigerians will all agree that POWER and WEALTH belong to God.
God and sports
It is likely that there may be a couple of people reading this piece and who feel like “come on, can we drop all this gibberish about God and focus on sports. Better still, on football. What has football got to do with God?” Such people are absolutely right. Some of the questions I have for such are: – what else should sports writers, critics and analysts do in order to save Nigerian sports from the horrible systemic decline we were experiencing in the country? What have football fans and genuine supporters of the beautiful game not done or said via the print and electronic media, in order to restructure sports in Nigeria? The truth is that it seems the more we criticise or expose the inadequacies in the way and manner football is managed in this nation, the worse matters become in the ‘glass house’.
Insensitivity of the highest degree has become the norm in this great nation.
Those in charge of sports administration are so insufficiently aware of the feelings of sports-loving Nigerians, hence, are unable to respond to them appropriately. When they do react, the reactions are either cosmetic or fake. This is why only God can rescue sports from the grip of enemies of our sports, especially football.
We, therefore, need the assistance of all God-fearing Nigerians to thank God for what He has started so that He can continue and conclude it. Apart from that, we call on our spiritual leaders to please help.
There is the urgent need for genuine divine intervention. Nigeria as a nation must seek the face of God for His mercies and forgiveness. There is need for national restitution. The battle is not ours. We must allow the One who created sports to fight the battle Himself and must not make the mistake of sharing His glory with Him.
The battle is just starting. It is not yet Uhuru, beware!!!
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