It’s a brand new week!
We have recovered from what has become a typical Nigeria Premier Football League weekend for us against Katsina United: another trip to the North and another defeat. This time, even a spirited fightback was not enough. Perhaps those two early goals we conceded were the nails in our coffin at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium. We may return to the lessons from that game later in the week, but for now, let’s talk about something so ordinary that we barely celebrate it, yet so extraordinary to those who have been deprived of it that experiencing it again feels like a miracle.
Passing urine, releasing a fart and walking are normal parts of human life. We rarely stop to appreciate them because they come naturally to us. But for someone who has lost the ability to do any of these things, regaining it can be a life-changing experience worth celebrating. What we take for granted can become another person’s greatest desire.
That is exactly what is happening in Nigerian football.
Some things should be basic responsibilities. Paying players’ salaries, settling allowances, honouring match bonuses and covering medical expenses are fundamental obligations of a professional football club. In many football environments, these are not extraordinary achievements worthy of special announcements. They are simply part of the job. But this is Nigeria, where the ordinary sometimes becomes extraordinary, and fulfilling a basic responsibility can earn a club widespread praise.
On Saturday, Rivers United announced on its official social media page that our former goalkeeper, Ani Ozoemena, had returned to training after a lengthy injury layoff. The club also disclosed that it had funded his surgery and rehabilitation, at a reported cost of about ₦14 million. That is a significant financial commitment, and Rivers United deserve credit for supporting their player through such a difficult period. But the announcement also raises an uncomfortable question: why should fulfilling this responsibility seem so exceptional in the first place?
In Nigeria, a career-threatening injury can easily become a career-ending one, particularly when the player cannot afford treatment and the club is unable or unwilling to shoulder the cost. Suddenly, the player is left to battle not only the injury but also the expense of getting back on his feet. For some, the only options are personal savings, help from family and friends, public appeals or the generosity of strangers on social media. It is a disturbing reality for people whose injuries often happen while they are doing their jobs.
And we have seen this happen more than once here.
Eze Ekwutoziam was injured while he still had a significant portion of his contract remaining, and he reportedly had to plead for the club’s support to keep his career from ending prematurely. Almost two years later, he has still not returned to playing football. Then there is Mujeeb Odufeso, who had to appeal publicly for financial help on social media. Both players were contracted to Enyimba when they were injured.
These cases are painful reminders that a footballer’s contract should mean more than the right to demand his services when he is fit. It should also carry a responsibility to support him properly when he is injured in the course of doing his job. Players are human beings, not disposable assets who become someone else’s problem the moment they can no longer contribute on the pitch.
This is why Rivers United’s action is commendable. The club has shown the kind of support players should be able to expect from their employers. But while we applaud the gesture, we must also recognise the bigger problem it exposes. We should not have to celebrate a club for doing what every professional club ought to do. We should be able to take it for granted, because it is the standard, not the exception.
I still have a dream that Nigerian football will reach its own El Dorado, where player welfare is treated as a fundamental obligation, contracts are respected and injuries do not leave footballers begging for a chance to save their careers. Hopefully, we will get there. But judging by the reality many players still face, we have a long way to go.
Until then, let us celebrate the clubs that do the right thing, but never lose sight of what should be normal.
Enyimba Enyi!
