Football is a game we all love. The better team always wins.  This victory is a mixture of many factors including players’ fitness, preparation, principles, passion, possession, discipline, teamwork, and goal scoring. 

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 will go down in history as the day that the national team of Ghana , the Black Stars confronted the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a friendly match at Griffin   Park and reclaimed glory, supremacy and football leadership of the West Africa sub region.  Naturally, Accra was agog with jubilation and the Ghanaians have every reason to jubilate as they celebrate their 50^th Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary.   

Nigerians at home and abroad were not shocked about the dismal performance of its national team. They were not really expecting miracles.  Many did not think that the Super Eagles will beat the Black Stars in spite of the arrays of individual stars with intimidating credentials paraded by the former against the later with equally star-studded but cohesive team.  This is not lack of patriotism on the part of these Nigerians who never gave the Super Eagles a chance. Football is not a game of chance; certain factors concoct its success. 

As the Ghanaians savour the sweet soccer victory over its closet Anglophone brothers, it is imperative that all well-meaning Nigerians should once again sit back and reflect deeply about the problems of the Nigerian nation and how to solve them drawing pertinent inference from matters arising from this memorable football clash.  It is just a football match. Yes.  Ghana won, amidst Nigerians’ initial gra-gra of the first half, only to concede four goals in the second half.   

The time to learn emerging lessons from this match is now. In April 2007, eligible Nigerians will match to the polls to elect the next set of political leaders that will lead the nation in the next four years. The electorates’ expectations are extremely high. Events in recent times do show that the radar of the political class/leadership is not tuned to catch the wave of these expectations and they carry on as if victory has been pre-determined.   

If we cannot learn from the past, as we are being accused of as a nation of people with short memory of history, we can learn vital lessons from current event, i.e. this Ghana versus Nigeria match where we performed woefully conceding four goals to Ghana and managing to tuck in only one goal through a cheap penalty kick.  There are certainly many lessons we can learn but players’ fitness, preparation, principles, passion, possession, discipline, teamwork and goal scoring will be amplified and superimposed upon the nation’s present debacles and journey towards democratic changeover in April 2007.   

We always conduct ourselves as if everything is usually determined before they happen. This is a critical problem that permeates every fabric of life in Nigeria . Unless the players are fit, in form and currently on top of their trade, the Super Eagles could not have walked into the field and expect to run over the Black Stars.  Black Stars had not gone to London for a tea party.  They went for competition.  They were apparently more fit and in better form than the shoddy heavy foot-dragging Super Eagles. 

In Nigeria , employments are offered to applicants before interviews are conducted, making the interviews mere rituals. Students parades first class and second class upper certificates from the universities and polytechnics even when they have not sat for final examinations.  No wonder employers of labour find it difficult to use these half-baked graduates. Contractors are awarded contracts even when it is obvious that they lack the technical competence to execute these contracts. No wonder that buildings are collapsing all over Lagos .  Planes that are not air-worthy fly as if nothing is at stake.  No wonder these planes drop at an alarming rate from the sky.  Examples abound.  So much for mediocrity!  Unless we entrench merit, federal character and nepotism will destroy the nation. 

Ask private institutions and enterprises that are building global brands today like UBA Group, GTBank Plc, Dangote Group, Globacom, ThisDay newspapers, Ovation International, et al, you will discover that they thrive and compete as ‘Proudly Nigerian’ companies against international brands because they are driven by merit.  There is no place for square peg in a round hole.  You stay in them as long as you are adding value.  The moment you cease to add value, you are fired.  There is no room for mediocrity, nepotism or federal character.  If you are fit, you are in.  If you are unfit, you are shed as excess luggage. 

Shouldn’t Nigerians be discerning and wise in electing fit and competent political leaders into office in 2007 most importantly, the presidency.  Nigerians should not vote on the basis of sentimental bias of religion, party or ethnicity.  We should rise up as one nation to vote in the person who can deliver value.  Who really can?  The presidential candidates should be thoroughly screened for focus, programme and purpose in office/power. 

From the contestants on ground, if Prof Pat Utomi for instance is the Chief Obafemi Awolowo reincarnated, let all Nigerians use their votes to bring him to power, give him a chance and demand accountabilities from him. We should not wait till he dies to mourn him as the No. 2 best President Nigerian never had after Awolowo. All things being equal, he has been able to articulate a vision for his presidency, and may be able to lead us out of the woods.  What experience did J F Kennedy possess to win American presidency and sit in the oval office?  Young, intelligent and dynamic, he assembled the best team, reignited the spirit of America and put America on the moon ahead of the defunct USSR .  And, if we choose to throw our weight behind Governor Yar’adua, Buhari or any other person, let it be that these ones are fit and suitably qualified for the job.  Don’t we have a Job Description for the office of the President in Nigeria ?  So, why do we behave as if we don’t have a clue about who we should vote into office?

Unless we begin to consider players’ fitness in our economic, political, social and personal life as well as leadership in Nigeria, it is unfortunate that our wilderness journey will last forty years instead of few weeks as it happened in mosaic days of the Old Testament.

The next lesson is preparation. He who fails to prepare is preparing to fail.  How can Super Eagle beat the Black Stars without adequate preparation?  Magic, voodoo, ‘ogboju’ and ‘gra-gra’ do not play football. Maybe in the 60s.  No longer in contemporary times. It is a highly competitive game.  Unless a team prepares, such team can never win.  Do we ever prepare for success in Nigeria ?  Only those who prepare win. Victory has a cost, it is preparation. 

What does it mean to prepare?  To prepare means ‘to anticipate’, ‘to plan’. ‘To be forewarned is to be forearmed.’ That is preparation.  There is no short cut to success in life.  Big men who are now languishing in jail for fraud-related offences and those helping EFFC with some enquiries will tell you that there is short cut to success in life. 

If a student does not prepare for exams and still goes on to pass exams through illicit means, he will pay the price sometimes in the future with full consequences.  Companies that cannot prepare for competition are soon swept away.  Ask the banks that disappeared during the just concluded banking industry’s consolidation. Ahead of the consolidation fever, I know a leading bank that smelt it well ahead of time and mapped out strategies to speedily achieve over N25b capitalization oblivious of what was going on in Mr Soludo’s head. When consolidation came, this bank was home and dry because it anticipated and planned for it.  If we meet Ghana again, Black Stars will beat Super Eagles unless we prepare.  It is not a curse, but the reality of principle that govern the rule of sowing and reaping.  If we do not sow preparation, we can only reap defeat.

Another lesson to consider is principles. The Black Star had a play pattern and a cohesive approach to the game against the Super Eagles. I was impressed by their performance in the second half that gave them four well deserved goals.  They went for the ball, controlled the mid field and dislocated Nigerian midfield and defense.  The white jersey was all over the field, and it was as if 11 Ghanaians were playing against 6 Nigerians. In life, like in football or war, unless you have principles, which the military called doctrines or tactics, you cannot win. The easiest way to beat a bully is to devise a strategy to beat and humiliate him.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian system is lacking in coordination and cohesiveness that the centre no longer holds. See the messy affairs in the presidency between the President and his Vice. See how politicians crossed, cross-carpeted and re-crossed to parties at will to serve personal interests and convenience.  Politicians in the 60s, 70s and before the demise of Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s second republic founded their parties on and lived for principles however imperfect. Only if the military had allowed them to emerge!  What do we have today?  Why won’t the titanic hit the iceberg? 

The informal sector thrives and government bleeds because this sector makes a lot of money from the economy and yet does not pay taxes or make statutory returns to the government purse.  ‘Omo onile’ terrorizes land buyers in Lagos ; touts worry bus drivers; Adedibu holds Oyo   State to ransom, and both government and educated elite turn their faces away because we do not have principles that govern our lives. 

Come to Ghana and see principles at work. If you are caught fraudulent, you go to jail notwithstanding your status. The law is no respecter of personalities in Ghana .  In their national newspaper, Daily Graphic of February 6 2007, the daily reported that after a 29-month trial at Accra Fast Track High Court that ended the previous day, a former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dan Abodakpi was handed a 10-year jail term with hard labour on seven counts of conspiracy, defrauding by false pretences and willfully causing financial loss of $400,000 to the state. Food for thought! What can Nigeria learn from this? 

The Black Stars were passionate.  They wanted to win. The Super Eagles, with due respect, were laughable. I think they played as if there is nothing at stake. The Ghanaians were playing like a wounded lion trying to revenge and reverse the defeat of CAN 2006.  They emerged the winners.  Until we get to the point that we are passionate about Nigeria , Nigerian products and survival, we may not grow out of our third world status.

Are we passionate about Nollywood?  Must we criticize to kill instead of make it better? The American government is passionate about Hollywood .  It is passionate about Cocacola.  President Bush spoke for Cocacola recently when India threatened to boycott the product.  Shouldn’t he? Can you imagine what India ’s boycott of Cocacola will do to the American economy?  What do you imagine America is doing in Iraq ? Iraq ’s intervention transcends Saddam Hussein. The man is dead yet America is still on ground. See, American government is passionate about Disney, Microsoft et al and will do everything within its power to protect their interest in the global market.  Whose interest do we really think World Bank serves? Africa ? Shouldn’t we be passionate about Nigerian brands?  If you call your dish bowl dust pan, others will also call it dust pan and use it to pack dirt in your presence. Nigerians at home and abroad need the type of passion that the Black Stars displayed against the Super Eagles to get the country on its feet again.     

The Black Stars gained greater possession of the ball. They had skills to hold and spread the ball from the different departments of the field. While their goalkeeper went to sleep, Vincent Enyeama was put under pressure.  We must learn to have possession of knowledge in our various disciplines, respect those who possess this knowledge and competence, and putting them in positions of leadership to serve the nation.  This is closely tied to players’ fitness.  If we cannot possess, we cannot score. 

Again, when we possess, we should use the object of possession rightly.  How is Nigeria that has over 60% of the West African market faring in the sub-region?  Indications show that the country is spear-heading ECOWAS integration in energy, capital market, tourism and common currency.  This is a good development.  We can use our sheer size to do more, and promote growth in trade and inflow of investment within the sub-region and Africa as a whole. 

Ghana is a disciplined country. It manifested on the field. In spite of their size comparatively to Nigeria , things work.  They have constant supply of electricity. Outage is planned and the people adequately informed on the pages of newspapers like in the days of ECN. The streets are clean. Traffic light works, and police are promptly stationed to control traffic when they temporarily go off. The roads are tarred. The response time of Public Works Department in fixing potholes is impressive. The people are very friendly, warm and accommodating. They are not hostile and aggressive. Their buses and taxis will park appropriately for you to embark and alight.  Their civil service is not perfect but they do not demand bribes or give you the impression that unless you bribe them your file will disappear.  Of course, there are road blocks but the police will not demand bribe from you even if you drive a car with foreign plate number.  They let you drive off with a smile once they ascertain that your papers are complete. Nigeria used to be like this in the 70s and 80s.  Let us not pretend that all is well. Corruption has choked us.  We must bring discipline to every facet of our lives to get the country back on track.

All these talks about Oduduwa, Arewa, Ndigbo, MEND etc will not lead us to a united Nigeria . Ghanaians national team showed us what teamwork can achieve. The Super Eagles played as lone stars and quickly burnt out. Teamwork gave Black Stars what strikers could not give them. Nigerians must work together. We must collaborate as one nation.  We do not need to resuscitate communism.  We can work together in a capitalist economy as one formidable people. 

Teamwork involves serving the common interest of all stakeholders. Teamwork involves carrying everybody along.  It is true democracy.  Where there is teamwork, government will serve the people. It will not steal from the people that put it into position of service.  The people will cooperate with the government.  There is MEND because there is no teamwork. Niger Delta is not an impossible problem.  Japan was rebuilt after World War II.  The state of Niger Delta is not as bad as the bombed out Japan . Who said government does not have the resources to make a Japan out of the Niger Delta?  May God deliver our political leaders from corruption and blind greed! We must cooperate to build our lives, and in the current circumstance, government must lead by example.

Goal scoring is the ultimate objective is a game of football. It is a question of how many goals you scored and not how many people you dribble.  The lesson here is results.  Political leadership must show results for our electoral investment in them.  For eight years, the electorates have invested trust, confidence and leadership in them.  What do they have to show for it?  We do not want stories.  For eight years?  And, we are still battling with PHCN, bad road, unresolved assassinations, poverty, etc?  We are not saying that the present administration has not done anything.  That standard of performance may be acceptable in Togo or Benin   Republic but certainly not in Nigeria .  Political leadership should score goals. 

“All we are saying; give us more goals.”

The Super Eagles did not click. It pained that we lost. But the lessons have been learnt. Let us hope well learnt. Would this article have been written if Super Eagles had won?  They could not have won unless life is not governed by principles. All stakeholders in the Nigerian state should begin to apply the lessons of the Super Eagles’ great defeat for the social reengineering to enable us build a nation we can all be proud to call the Heart of Africa.

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Babatunde Ayoola Fajimi, Accra Ghana  

Robot  # 1 | 17.02.2008 15:35

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