Good morning.
Yesterday, I had a long, soul-searching conversation with a colleague and fellow Enyimba fan. It was one of those discussions that pull you into memory lane—a journey through the highs, the pride, the glory days of our great club. At some point, it felt like we were talking about an entirely different team.
We talked about the kind of players we used to have at Enyimba—the quality, the grit, the aura. Names like Muri Ogunbiyi, Joetex Frimpong, Romanus Orjinta, Ndidi Anumunu, and Vincent Enyeama came up. To be honest, aside from Vinny—whose brilliance is unforgettable—it was hard to even properly place the rest by position. I was much younger then, still being onboarded as a true blue.
As fans of the newer generation, our own golden era came a little later. We remembered when our goalkeeping department was so rich that other teams would envy our bench. Imagine having Theophilus Afelokhai, Fatau Dauda, and others jostling for a single shirt—that was Enyimba.
Then there were the defenders, midfielders, wingers, and forwards who could walk into any NPFL team without question. Chinedu Udoji, Markson Ojobo, Chima Akas, Uwadiegwu Ugwu, Nelson Ogbonna, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu, Nzube Anaezemba, Austin Oladapo, Cyril Olisema, Onuwa, Anayo Iwuala, Stanley Dimgba (pre-South Africa), Mfon Udoh—these were players who made watching football in Aba a weekly pilgrimage.
At a time, football came first in Aba—yes, even ahead of commerce, which is sacred to the average Aba man.
And now? Rival fans have been circling, waiting for this very moment. The moment when Enyimba, once the pride of the land, would be seen as just another club. Sadly, that moment may already be here. Results have been hard to come by. Performances, even harder to watch. The pain is real. The laughter of our rivals is louder.
But even now, we cling to hope—that the players we’ve signed this season will help right the ship. That they will restore the pride we once wore like a crown. That Aba will once again be a fortress, feared and respected.
Maybe in a few years, another set of fans will sit down and have the kind of conversation I had yesterday. Maybe they’ll look back and talk about this very squad. And maybe—just maybe—they won’t feel the same weight of nostalgia and longing that we did.
Because if they do, it means we never found our way back.
Onye mara asụ, ya sụọ n’ikwe
(If you know how to grind, grind in the mortar.)
‘EnyimbaEnyi
