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True
Christians believe in the existence of demons, which labour round the
clock to deprive the believer of happiness here on earth and also to
deny him a place in Heaven.

These demons are of
categories corresponding to power and influence. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul
the apostle helps us identify these demons who are Satan’s agents in
his quest for world dominance.

Satan at the head
of the kingdom, has next to him the principalities who are followed by
powers and then by rulers of darkness of this world and finally by
spiritual wickedness in high places.

The rulers of
darkness of this wicked world comprise the fallen angels as well as
humans who have pledged themselves to Satan. Their activities are
centred on and carried out on earth.

Spiritual
wickedness in high places constitutes the fourth realm in the hierarchy
of the Satanic Kingdom. They are the foot soldiers stationed in the
second Heaven to defend Satan’s kingdom and anyone in opposition to it.
They attack anything that comes from God and are assigned to hinder the
blessings of God upon his children.

I have taken time
to outline the structure of the satanic kingdom because after deep and
careful reflection on the state of Nigerian sports and its failure over
the years to realise its potential, I have come to the conclusion that
it is being held captive by the activities of these demons outlined
above.

If you do a
thorough assessment of some of the individuals who have over the years
superintended or still superintend over it, the army of junior cadre
employees, athletes, sports journalists who have reported goings on
there and a few other individuals associated with it one way or
another, you will come to the inescapable conclusion that sport in this
country is truly in the maw of the Satanic kingdom.

Demons in control

Who are the
principalities in Nigerian sports and how do they operate? These are
men who over time have come to see Nigerian sports as a field to be
plundered. They occupy the highest reaches of Nigerian sports either at
the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Olympic Committee
(NOC) or the various sports federations and use their positions as
platforms for self-promotion and self-aggrandisement. One of the ways
they do it is by wriggling themselves into international sporting
associations from which they grow in influence without a corresponding
gain for the country that provided the spring board.

One of these
principalities was toppled a few years ago from the sports ministry and
only last year faced further shame when his misdeeds were exposed for
the world to see.

Another member of
this group occupied a sensitive position in the sports ministry and was
only removed in 2009. The same fellow has been the head of a sports
federation in Nigeria for 18 years. That particular federation is dead
to all intents and purposes but the man himself has continued to worm
his way into global sports bodies.

At a time in
Nigeria he was head of Nigeria’s Olympic movement as well as a director
in the sports ministry in addition to holding down his job as boss of a
national sports federation. There are others. One of them is currently
doing his third term as head of a sports federation, which is going
comatose from inactivity. He was also at one time Nigeria’s minister of
sports and currently occupies a high ranking position in Nigeria’s
Olympic movement.

Another principality

There is also
another principality well known to Nigerians. He is a former head of
Nigeria’s most popular sports federation, his act of hubris in
disdaining popular opinion and endangered Nigeria’s chances at a famous
global competition which cost him his job and to some measure, his
freedom.

Among the powers
are those individuals in Nigerian sports who are sufficiently high up
in the hierarchy of the sports federations but are not the actual
bosses. However, they wield influence, which affects the fortunes of
Nigerian sports. Like the powers in the Satanic kingdom, they love to
be worshipped and fawned over. Thus you will see them luxuriating in
titles such as ‘chairman of chairmen’, ‘skippo’ etc. One of these men
about two years ago came out of his office and berated men and women
who spend their money funding the sport, catering for athletes and took
offence that such ‘wretched people’ should sully his office with their
presence.

Among the rulers of
darkness of this wicked world are those individuals in Nigerian sports
establishment who have chosen to tag along with their bosses in the
destruction of sports in the country. They comprise those clerks,
auditors and other employees who help the principalities and powers of
Nigerian sports to doctor the books and cover up their crimes against
the Nigerian people.

The last category

The last group of
demons in Nigerian sports Spiritual wickedness in high places is one
that is of particular interest to me because among them are found
members of my constituency, the sporting media. Like their counterparts
in the Satanic kingdom, some members of this category have like Faust,
sold their souls to the principalities and powers of Nigerian sports.
These individuals instead of being watchdogs and exposing the
malfeasance choking sports in the country sing praises of the
principalities and powers. They encourage them by massaging their ego
and shouting down any of their colleagues who dare to stand up for the
truth. This category of demons more than anything else makes it
impossible for genuine change to take place in sports in this country
because if they played their true role of watchdogs, a new lease of
life would surely come.

There, you have it, my thoughts on the malfeasance killing sports in
Nigeria. Anyone is free to disagree with me but you ask yourself, why
despite the shouting by the few decent members of the media and former
athletes, things haven’t changed.