Good day!
Today started with an unannounced downpour here in Aba. In about 30 minutes, the weather went from a clear breaking dawn to torrential rain, then somehow stopped just in time for people to go about their normal businesses, at least those who did not have to contend with flash flooding. The result? A humid afternoon, with humidity at 87% and the temperature at 26°C as of noon. Perfect weather for me, but cold for some people.
Interestingly, that is the situation at Enyimba right now. Perfect for some people, cold for others.
What exactly am I talking about? Last week, Shooting Stars fans called for the sack of their new manager, Salisu Yusuf, who replaced Nurudeen Aweroro, a man who was not allowed to continue despite guiding the club to continental football for the first time in 27 years. I imagine their management will be hoping for a win in Ibadan this Friday to calm the waters and avoid a similar reaction, especially after releasing a statement discouraging fans from resorting to violence. Of course, protests do not have to be violent to make their message clear.
Yesterday, it was the turn of Ranchers Bees. Back in the top flight for the first time in 16 years, the club is also undergoing a rebrand. Following a series of poor results, their fans took their frustrations to a training session, demanding changes. Perhaps, however, they overlooked one important detail: Ranchers Bees have yet to play at their traditional home in Kaduna. Instead, they have been moving around the other K-cities, from Katsina to Kano, without the comfort of their own home ground.
Then I had to double-check our position on the same Nigeria Premier Football League table. After eight matches, both teams have one point more than Enyimba and sit two and three places above us, respectively. We have managed to collect more points than only Inter Lagos, who are making their debut in the league, while even fellow newcomers Kun Khalifat have accumulated more points than we have.
Yet, everywhere is calm. We seem comfortable.
Am I asking us to press the panic button? Maybe!
Someone might argue that it is still early days and there is no cause for alarm. Fair enough. But when we examine the events that led to our defeat in Katsina, it is difficult to ignore how those two early goals made the task so much harder for the team. There are lessons to be drawn from such performances. We must pay attention to the little, seemingly inconsequential problems that need correcting before they become patterns, and before those patterns develop into full-blown crises.
Enyimba is not a club accustomed to early relegation battles, particularly in seasons when we have no outstanding matches to make up. I still believe we will not be relegated, but avoiding relegation should never become the new normal for a two-time CAF Champions League winner and the record holder for NPFL titles. That would be an aberration.
This disquiet is deafening.
If everyone else is comfortable with the situation, I am not. I refuse to mistake silence for progress or calm for evidence that everything is fine. Yes, the season is still young, and the NPFL has repeatedly shown us that it is a marathon, not a sprint. But that is precisely why we must act now, while there is still enough time to correct what needs correcting.
We cannot afford to wait until the problems become too obvious to ignore. By then, the cost of putting things right may be far greater. As the saying goes, we must make hay while the sun shines.
Ka anyị were ụtụtụ chọwa ewu ojii.
Enyimba Enyi!
