A couple of days ago, I had a conversation with a lifelong Enyimba supporter. Not the type who discovered the club after checking the record books and seeing nine league titles. I mean the kind of fan whose weekends rise and fall with the fortunes of the People’s Elephant.
In the middle of our conversation, he said something that has stayed with me.
“We are pro-Enyimba… but we no send anybody papa.”
I laughed when he said it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised he had summed up exactly what this fanbase should stand for.
Being pro-Enyimba does not mean becoming a cheerleader for whoever occupies the chairman’s office. It does not mean defending every decision the club makes or attacking everyone who dares to ask questions. Administrations come and go. The badge remains. Our loyalty is to Enyimba—not to personalities.
What is the point of projecting the image of a great football club to the outside world if things are gradually falling apart behind the scenes?
That question came back to me when I opened my X timeline a few days later.
Enyimba had posted photographs from training, probably expecting supporters to focus on preparations for the new season. Instead, the comment section became something else entirely.
“Go and pay your players.”
That was the recurring message.
Whether fair or unfair, justified or premature, that reaction tells you something important. Supporters are no longer willing to clap for the club on Saturday and ignore uncomfortable questions on Sunday. That is not hatred. That is accountability.
For too long, many of us believed that protecting Enyimba meant keeping quiet whenever something embarrassing happened. Last season should have cured us of that illusion. We watched the club stagger through one of the worst campaigns in its history, escaping relegation on the final day. We have seen stories of internal disagreements, questions over player welfare, and public disputes that should never have left the walls of the club.
Enough is enough.
If reports about unpaid wages are false, the club should provide clear evidence and put the matter to bed. If there are genuine outstanding obligations, they should be settled without turning the issue into another public relations battle. What supporters want is clarity, professionalism and dignity—not another episode that leaves Enyimba trending for the wrong reasons.
The truth is that this administration has too often allowed avoidable controversies to overshadow football. Every few weeks there seems to be another distraction, another statement, another fire to put out. That is not how serious football clubs operate.
The good news is that supporters are beginning to understand the difference between loyalty and blind loyalty.
We can support the club and still demand better. We can love Enyimba and still question poor decisions. We can defend the badge without defending every action taken in its name. Perhaps that is the biggest lesson from the last twelve months. Our eyes are finally open.
EnyimbaEnyi
