I have a very weird lifestyle. It might just be the weirdest thing you will hear this week. Yes, we are only hours away from the end of the week, but I am convinced this might still be as bizarre as it gets.
The most creative space in my apartment is my toilet and/or bathroom. That is where most of my inspiration comes from. And no, this does not apply to every restroom I visit. It is peculiar to the one in my apartment, which probably explains why I take excellent care of it.
Yesterday, as I was taking my bath and brooding over the situation at Enyimba, with water running down my head, a song suddenly came into my mind. It was a classic from one of Aba’s popular music groups, the Dynamites, known for their hit song Akpoaza. But the song that came to me was Hara, which means “forgive” in Igbo.
The exact line was:
“Chineke biko arapụkwala anyị, n’odịghị onye rapụrụ ubi ya n’oruru ahịhịa…”
The second part struck me particularly. Translated, it means: “Do not forsake us, Lord, for no one abandons his farm because it is overgrown with weeds.”
And I began to wonder: Do we now abandon this club, which has given us lasting, not merely euphoric, joy and pride, simply because it appears to be sinking at the speed of light?
If there is any time Enyimba needs us, the fans, to rally around it and support it, it is now.
Supporting Enyimba does not mean pretending that everything is fine. It does not mean turning a blind eye to the glaring problems confronting the club or cheering blindly while things fall apart. Rather, it means making demands of the players, the coaches, the management and even the government. It means speaking out and calling out those who appear more interested in fighting for themselves and the accolades that may come with individual success than in protecting the collective interests of the club.
The more they pursue personal gratification, the more they jeopardise the efforts of those who should be partners in progress. Right now, it appears everyone has chosen their own path to relevance. If things go right, I did it. If things go wrong, they did it without my consent. My office is superior to yours. You shouldn’t look in my direction. I have more authority than you.
And in the midst of all these, Enyimba suffers.
The constant wrangling has become a clog in the wheel of progress. While everyone is busy fighting over who matters most, the club itself is left struggling for oxygen. The badge means everything to the supporters, but the people entrusted with protecting it appear increasingly distracted by battles that have little to do with what happens on the pitch.
I have thought deeply about this dear club of ours, and I have come to one conclusion: we must not abandon our club.
Instead, we must demand that these warring factions either find common ground, resolve their differences and forge a common strategy for the progress of Enyimba, or get flushed out completely. Not partially. Not temporarily. Completely enough for the club to breathe, rebuild and move forward.
There can be no meaningful progress when those who should be working together are constantly pulling in different directions. There can be no sustainable success when personal interests repeatedly take precedence over the institution. And there can be no genuine rebuilding without first addressing the issues that continue to weaken the club from within.
Enyimba fans love their club so much. We have celebrated its victories, defended its reputation and carried its badge with pride. We have seen this club rise to heights that many could only dream of. We have experienced the joy of continental glory and the pride of knowing that our club belongs among the greats.
This is a hurting period, and there is no point pretending otherwise. The results have been disappointing, the atmosphere around the club has been troubling, and the outlook remains uncertain. But as much as we are pained, we cannot abandon our own.
Sometimes, when a farm is overgrown with weeds, you don’t abandon the farm. You clear the weeds.
You identify what is choking the crops, remove what needs to be removed and give the farm a chance to flourish again. And if the weeds are the problem, then they must go. The farm must survive.
Tomorrow, we play an unbeaten Kano Pillars in Kano. After everything that has happened, after the disappointments, the internal battles and the seemingly endless questions surrounding our beloved club, can we still hope?
Just maybe.
Because when it comes to Enyimba, hope is not something we should surrender easily.
Enyimba Enyi!
