Sports as a metaphor for Nigeria
Special to USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica The Newspaper,
Houston
NigeriaCentral.com
The
Black Business Journal
By JONATHAN ELENDU
The first two weeks of June 2002 was an
emotionally draining one for me. It was sports that ruined my
week
and left me in a pyschological tasking condition. Before the World
Cup 2002 started in Japan/Korea, I began experiencing episodes of
homesickness. I wanted to watch the World Cup at home in Nigeria,
with my exuberant friends. That was not to be. I watched the first
match with a friend, and after the loss to Argentina, we concluded
that Nigeria had a winning team that will get better as the
competition progressed.
It was with great expectation that I woke up at 2:00 am in the early
hours of Wednesday to watch the Nigeria-Sweden match. The match
commenced with both teams sizing each other up and after the first
ten minutes, I was convinced Nigeria would carry the day. Our boys
were fit and played beautiful football. How could we lose? My
celebration of the first goal by Julius Agahowa woke up my neighbors.
I kept repeating: I knew we had it! I knew we would surprise the
world! The quick equalizer by Sweden did not dampen my mood. However,
after the penalty kick that sealed our hope, I turned off the
television set, although I knew there wo
uld
be no sleep for me that morning. My heart was too heavy.
In the days following our loss to Sweden, I wore a smile on my face
and pretended that
everything was going great. It wasnt, but that is the only way I know
how to deal with my emotions. Some may wonder why a football match
will affect me that way but you have to understand that it wasn't
just a football match to me. It symbolized for me our national
aspiration and pride. Indeed, it meant everything about Nigeria; our
hopes, our dreams, and our aspirations as a people.
Saturday, I looked forward to the Tyson-Lewis fight. To me, this was
Tyson's last chance. He needed to win this fight, if not to prove to
the world that he is a great champion, at least to remain relevant in
boxing. Ironically, Lewis is my favorite boxer. I knew if he lost to
Tyson, Lewis could easily regain his title. He is a better boxer and
a better behaved man. But the endless criticism of Tyson had made him
an underdog in my eyes and I had to support him.
The fight began with Tyson showing some brilliance and courage. After
the second round, he seemed to have lost everything. He gradually
receded into a shadow of himself. Lewis used the advantage of his
superior skills--a longer reach and height--to wear Tyson out. By the
seventh round, everybody knew Tyson had little chance of making it to
the end of the fight.
In the post-fight interviews, we saw a Tyson the world has never
seen. He was humble and gracious. Tyson admitted Lewis fought a
better fight and lamented that all he got from the fight was the
seventeen million dollars he would be paid. He wanted something more.
The man who was once called a great fighter longed for that title
again. He missed being called great!
I wanted Tyson to win the fight or at the least, have a draw with
Lewis. I wanted Tyson to have another shot, another chance to turn
his life around. I had always argued with friends that the Tyson we
see on television and read about in newspapers is not real. That
Tyson is a creation of the media and boxing promoters. The Tyson the
world knows is a victim of forces within and outside of himself; that
Tyson is not a human being, but a cash cow. I still believe it to be
true.
Nigeria has been killed in the FIFA's group of death. Argentina, the
favored team to win the tournament and the catalyst of our demise, is
the other casualty from this group. In my mind, the Nigerian and
Argentine teams should have qualified. They were the best teams in
their group.
Contrary to my feelings of the past week, Nigeria was not disgraced
out of the World Cup.
Though we lost to Argentina and Sweden, we held England to a draw.
Our demise was a result of inexperience.
My new week started well. I was ready to put the Super Eagles, and
indeed, the World Cup
behind me. Tyson was out of my mind. A whole week of mourning sports
was enough. Now I have to pick the pieces and move on. That was my
resolve as the week began until I read a story in the Guardian
about a three-day old boy at Suleja prisons. The
nineteen-year old mother of the boy is an inmate of the prison and
she gave birth to him there.
The Obasanjo Administration has been credited with having the most
humane regime in Nigeria. Its human rights record has been acclaimed.
Yet, this government looks the other way while an innocent three day
old is imprisoned. I know the argument will be that it is his
mother's fault.
This only true to those who lack imagination and creativity as,
obviously, our judicial system does. The operators of that branch of
our government lack dynamism. Could they not have protected that
child from his mother?
If the judge who sentenced Ngozi Ajah, the boy's mother, to prison
had any brains he would have given her liberal bail conditions,
knowing she was pregnant and that her child neither aided nor abated
in the crime. He could also have given her a suspended sentence
pending the delivery of the child. But as usual, the Nigerian Justice
system does not have a heart when it comes to dealing with the poor.
Does anybody believe that Ms. Ajah would have given birth in prison
if she was the wife, daughter, or sibling of a prominent politician,
or businessman?
How could the government of retired General Olusegun Obasanjo have
trampled on the rights of this child? Did this child deserve to come
into the world as a prisoner? Why did the Nigerian social services
not take the child away from his mother after birth? What do we do to
prevent this from happening to another child? These are questions
that must be answered by the Nigerian government. The human rights
community should demand explanations. This boy deserved better than
we gave him. His country should not have welcomed him like this and
we must make it up to him.
Let us start by ensuring that his life from now
on will be better. The government should make sure that he never
lacks a good meal, a good education, and a real home. It is the least
we can for him to ensure he does not become the kind of Tyson we read
about on the pages of newspapers. Why Chinua
Achebe,
the Eagle on the Iroko,
is Africa's writer of the century. By Chido Nwangwu
USAfrica
The Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings. These views were
stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and
senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on
Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of
'Inside Politics 2000.'
Wednesday, June 12th, was the ninth anniversary of the election of
Moshood Kashimawo
Abiola, for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. That election of June 12, 1993, was adjudged the freest and
fairest election in the history of Nigeria. It is now history that
Abiola did not serve for a minute in the office to which he was
elected. Instead, he died in prison. His wife, Kudirat, was
assassinated by the Sani Abacha junta, the same regime that
imprisoned him.
The ouster of the Super Eagles from the World Cup, the loss of Tyson
to Lewis, and the
imprisonment of three-day old baby Ajah--all these events remind me
of Nigeria, and what is to come between now and 2003. We went to the
World Cup with a brilliant, but inexperienced team. They performed
well, yet did not win the cup. Tyson came out of the fight with Lewis
showing the human and humble side of himself. To the little boy who
was born in the prison, some may argue that he was given a taste of
the larger Nigeria, which to so many people, is a prison from which
they wish to escape.
Just like our Super Eagles should be kept together as a team as they
mature, the military and all those who would want an excuse to take
power by force, we say: suru lere, softly softly. Our
politicians have been a disappointment but some have shown some
promise. We should remove those who have not performed through the
ballot box, not thuggery and violence.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria, Mike Tyson, and our democracy demand a
second chance. Let us all join hands to pull our beloved homeland
from the edge of the precipice, where it now
rests.
Elendu is a contributing editor of
USAfricaonline.com
and NigeriaCentral.com.
He writes every
Friday, exclusively for USAfricaonline.com
Archiving of this essay on another web site is not
authorized; only web links are allowed.
Nelson
Mandela, Tribute to the
world's political superstar and Lion of
Africa
USAfrica FORUM:
IN THE HOUSE OF MANDELA:
A SILLY CRY FOR REPARATIONS
By Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's
burden
mounts with murder charges, trials
Why Bush should focus on dangers
facing Nigeria's return
to democracy
and Obasanjo's slipperyslide
TRIBUTE
A KING FOR
ALL TIMES:
Why Martin Luther King's
legacy
and vision are relevant into 21st century.
DIPLOMACY
Walter
Carrington:
African-American diplomat who put principles above self for
Nigeria 
(USAfrica's
founder Chido Nwangwu with Ambassador Carrington at the U.S.
embassy, Nigeria)
DEMOCRACY'S
WARRIOR
Out of
Africa.
…The
cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but
his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua
Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on
his crusade against public corruption and press
censorship
in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By
John Suval.
ARINZE: Will he be
the FIRST
BLACK AFRICAN
POPE?
By Chido
Nwangwu
HUMAN
RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
How far, how deep will Nigeria's human rights
commission go?
Rtd. Gen. Babangida trip as
emissary for Nigeria's Obasanjo to Sudan raises curiosity,
questions about what next in power
play?
110 minutes
with Hakeem Olajuwon
Nigerian
stabbed
to death
in his bathroom in Houston.
Cheryl
Mills' first class defense of Clinton and her detractors'
game
It's wrong
to stereotype Nigerians as Drug
Dealers
Private initiative,
free
market forces, and more
democratization
are Keys to prosperity in Africa
Apple announces Titanium,
"killer
apps" and other
ground-breaking products for 2001. iTunes makes a record
500,000 downloads.
Steve Jobs extends digital
magic
Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a standard
of artistic excellence,
and more. By Douglas Killam
Lifestyle
Sex,
Women and (Hu)Woman
Rights. By Chika Unigwe
Johnnie Cochran
will soon learn that defending Abacha's
loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's
case.
By Chido
Nwangwu
USAfrica The
Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings.
DEMOCRACY DEBATE
CNN
International debate o
n
Nigeria's democracy livecast on February 19, 2002. It
involved Nigeria's Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana,
Prof. Salih Booker and USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido
Nwangwu. Transcripts
are available on
the CNN International site.
Should Africa debates begin
and end at
The
New York Times and
The
Washington Post?
No
NEWS
INSIGHT
CNN, Obasanjo and Nigeria's struggles with
democracy.
Why Obasanjo's government should respect
CNN
and Freedom of the press
in Nigeria.
Jonas Savimbi, UNITA are
"terrorists"
in Africans' eyes
despite Washington's "freedom fighter" toga for him. By
SHANA WILLS
Africa
suffers the scourge of the virus.
This life and pain of Kgomotso Mahlangu, a
five-month-old AIDS patient (above) in a hospital in the
Kalafong township near Pretoria, South Africa, on October
26, 1999, brings a certain, frightening reality to the
sweeping and devastating destruction of human beings who
form the core of any definition of a country's future, its
national security, actual and potential economic development
and internal markets.
22 million Africans HIV-infected, ill
with AIDS
while African leaders
ignore disaster-in-waiting
Osama
bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's
stability
What
has Africa
to do with September 11 terror? By Chido
Nwangwu
Africans
reported
dead
in terrorist
attack at
WTC
September
11
terror and
the ghost of things to
come....
Will
religious conflicts be the time-bomb
for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule?
Bola
Ige's murder another danger signal for
Nigeria's nascent democracy.
In a special report a few hours after the
history-making nomination, USAfricaonline.com
Founder and Publisher Chido Nwangwu places Powell within the
trajectory of history and into his unfolding clout and
relevance in an essay titled 'Why Colin
Powell
brings gravitas, credibility and star power to Bush
presidency.'
APPRECIATION
A young
father writes his One
year old son:
"If only my heart had a voice...."
AFRICA
AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS
Beyond U.S.
electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic
republic hold
lessons
for
African politics.
CONTINENTAL
AGENDA
Bush's position on
Africa
is "ill-advised."
The position
stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of
Texas, George Bush where 
he
said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his
presidency has been questioned by
USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido
Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was
neither validated by the economic exchanges nor
geo-strategic interests of our two continents."
Nwangwu,
adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the
U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued
further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35
million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of
oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the
horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for
Governor Bush's ill-advised
position which
removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be
elected president.
By Al Johnson