Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV)
“Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
After Wednesday’s debacle, I thought my days of preaching about Enyimba were done for the season. Chinatu’s post yesterday echoed the sentiment, mourning the end of our campaign. It felt like the blog, too, had run its course for now. And who could blame us?
Yet, like the prophet Jeremiah, the passion for Enyimba courses through our blood, a fire trapped in our bones. It’s been a decade since I stood on the sacred turf of Enyimba’s stadium. I’m thousands of miles from Aba, from Nigeria, but Enyimba occupies my thoughts daily.
I still remember 2003, when we spilled onto Aba’s streets, celebrating our CAF Champions League victory over Egypt’s Ismaily. We sang, shouted, and reveled all night, reliving the team’s grueling journey to the final. It remains the greatest football night of my life.
Governor Alex Otti let us down. No matter his achievements elsewhere, his legacy will forever carry this stain. His decisions—or lack thereof—crippled Enyimba. Chief Anyansi Agwu’s time was up, but replacing him with Kanu Nwankwo was a grave mistake.
Kanu’s incompetence was apparent from the start. His first move? Appointing Ifeanyi Ekwueme, a man with little to offer beyond a lackluster Super Eagles career. Unqualified and out of his depth, Ekwueme was a disastrous choice.
A leader lacking wisdom is bad enough, but surrounding yourself with equally clueless allies is catastrophic. Smart staff were sidelined to marketing roles or sacked for their loyalty to the previous regime. The club stumbled from one blunder to the next. The squad lacked quality, and top talent shunned us, preferring clubs that cared for their players. For months, we warned, advised, and sounded the alarm, but our cries fell on deaf ears.
The club’s social media lackeys branded us traitors, enemies of Enyimba, all while chasing their next paycheck. Nigeria is full of such opportunists—modern-day Judases trading truth for a handful of silver.
Now, as the season fades, we’re left empty-handed. No league title. No continental campaign next year. A tired head coach with outdated tactics that fool no one. It’s a grim prophecy come to pass.
But we won’t stop talking about Enyimba. Even if we sink into relegation – (We are like 6 points from relegation), we’ll keep speaking. This management, if they refuse to change, will one day be gone. No one holds power forever. Enyimba—our Enyimba—will outlast them all.
It’s only a matter of time.
