This Enyimba administration never seems too far away from another embarrassing situation. Just when you think the club is ready to settle down, focus on football and begin repairing the damage of last season, another needless controversy arrives and drags the name of Enyimba through the mud. This time, it is Kalu Nweke, former captain and leader and indeed one of the club’s most dependable players, publicly disputing the claim that he has been fully paid.
The club says it has fulfilled its financial obligations. Nweke says otherwise and has challenged Enyimba to produce the evidence for everyone to see. We are not inside the accounts department, so we cannot honestly declare who is telling the truth. But we can say this without hesitation: the entire episode is shameful, avoidable and unworthy of a club that constantly reminds everyone that it is Nigeria’s most successful.
Kalu Nweke is not some fringe player who disappeared when the club needed him. Last season, when Enyimba stumbled into a relegation fight of its own making, he was used and overused in the desperate attempt to drag the team away from danger. His body was called upon repeatedly. His experience was needed. His loyalty was convenient. When the club was fighting for its life, nobody considered him a distraction or a saboteur.
That is why the matter leaves such a bitter taste. You cannot squeeze every last drop from a player when your season is collapsing and then allow his welfare to become a public argument once safety has been secured. If Nweke is owed salaries, allowances or any other agreed entitlement, Enyimba should stop being foolish and pay the man. It should not require a press release, screenshots from selected players or a social-media wrestling match.
This is where the current administration must look honestly at itself. Too often, it has taken positions that leave supporters defending the indefensible. There is always an explanation, a counterstatement or someone else to blame, while the club’s reputation absorbs the damage. From the disorder surrounding the team last season to the repeated stories of internal conflict and now this public salary dispute, Enyimba has been mired in one shameful stance after another. We can recall last season how players were allowed to leave on a free rather than get paid by the club.
The annoying part is that supporters are sometimes expected to treat every uncomfortable report as sabotage. We will not do that. ThatEnyimbaFan is supports Enyimba, but being pro-Enyimba does not mean being a praise singer for the present administration. Administrations come and go. The badge remains. Our responsibility is to make the noise that others are too afraid, too compromised or too comfortable to make.
That does not mean every rumour should be accepted as fact. It means serious claims from credible people must be treated seriously. Nweke has served this club dutifully and played a major role during a season in which Enyimba needed every available hand to escape relegation. His words cannot simply be brushed aside because they are inconvenient. Let the club provide clear evidence. Let the player provide his own evidence. Then let the truth settle the argument.
Enyimba should be preparing for a new season, strengthening the squad and rebuilding confidence after a disastrous campaign. Instead, we are discussing whether a loyal player has received what he is owed. That alone tells its own story. If the club has paid him, prove it and close the matter. But if one kobo remains unpaid, spare us the statements and public relations. Pay the man, apologise for the embarrassment and start behaving like Enyimba again.
EnyimbaEnyi
