A SINGLE
VICTORY
A lot of people have different opinions and reactions to the
emergence of the Super Eagles of Nigeria as the winner of the coveted Nations
Cup. For some, pitching the Super Eagles against its counterpart from Burkina
Faso was an indisputable walk-over for the Eagles who didn’t even need to make
an appearance. To some other who belonged to the school of thought that the
Burkina Faso side was a very amateurish team compared to their experienced
counterpart who boasts of an affluent show of internationally based and famous
players, this notwithstanding, anything can happen in a football match.
The third group of people, I choose to call ‘literate fans’.
These were fans who have critically followed all the matches from the group
stages. They not only waited for the ‘goal’ cues from the commentator(s), or
for throw-ins, corner kicks, fowls, red or yellow cards, half and extra times,
penalties, goal kicks or off-sides, but also meticulously followed the
expressions of the coaches, the bench make up, the ‘game changers’ in the team
and pace of play.
They also considered the implications of actions and
inactions in the game at play and their effects in the subsequent ones. These
were the very few who knew not only the names of the first eleven players but
took the troubles to know the referees, linesmen and even commentators. This
set of people understood the mathematics of football and when a game was either
won or lost; they knew the matrix that worked for or against whom. This set of
people were certain the game was going to end in favour of the Stallions of
Burkina Faso having watched their zeal and determination dwarf the ‘Super
Chickens’ of Nigeria.
Having followed the 95minutes long play myself, I found most
interesting the passion of the players as it unfolded, the scintillating show
of skills, pains, misses, patriotism, resilience and tired nerves railing the
faces of the dogged players. It was a sweet-sour experience.
I watched as factors outplayed themselves; from luck to
experience and then skills and I want to believe divine, accommodating whatever
school of thought to which anyone may belong. The Super Eagles meandering
through the almost unswerving tenacity of the Stallions of Burkina Faso who
persistently pressed forward, putting on edge not only the eleven players and
all those watching live at the stadium but also over a hundred million and
counting Nigerians till the final whistle served both relief and victory.
And that was my moment!
For a country that has seen so much pains in the recent past,
where the dearth of positive news have sapped the energy and strength of the
citizens, this victory was a kind of a sign. So bad is the decay that the
turning on of the television set has become synonymous to taking toxic pills,
subtly but surely eroding every hunger to live and reducing a good number to
existing beings. From the fuel subsidy palaver to the almost non-payment of
salaries, the non-existing pension packages, consistent rise in the standard of
living, the carting away of our resources to foreign banks and reserves, poor
infrastructural facilities, collapsed educational system, health facilities
that are equal to death traps, swindling financial institutions, dubious NGOs,
the ‘non-representing’ representatives, government parastatals that have become
pig banks to a few, the never-fulfilled manifestos of the ‘elected’, the
persistent massacres aliased Boko Haram not to mention the never persecuted
crime and criminals. The list goes on…
These are the realities that glare at us every dawn and dusk.
It has gradually become the fluid that fuels our very existence speedily
reducing us from the happiest people to the saddest.
And so the final whistle came. Drawing the curtain on the
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2013 hosted in the beautiful capital of South
Africa, Johannesburg but opening a new page for Nigeria. It was unbelievable, shocking, perplexing yet
before us; Victory at last! Standing at my balcony, I could feel life surging
through Nigeria. A dawn at dusk. I listened as shouts of joy tore through the
night. Tears of joy drowning the pains of many years. It was impossible to
sleep. Adrenalin pumping. Singing seized the stars, and happiness dimmed the
moon. Music sweeping away the crickets and drums buried the frogs. Nature went
to sleep and man awakened. The atmosphere fresh with the breath of
life…Nigerians’.
That moment is yet without description. I captured it all,
lost in its dynamics and beauty. The magic was palpable, the bond touchable. No
enemy, no foe. Frozen moment of indifference. It was a single victory; for
Nigeria, for Nigerians. Fireworks dominated the starry night and its thunderous
sound re-echoed.
Hope is reawakened, peace resurrected, faith strengthened,
justice unsheathed, knowledge uncovered, life alive. A new Nigeria birthed!
There are many sides to the AFCON 2013, many stories to tell;
on and off camera, many disappointments and glories to x-ray and of course,
ripple effects. For me, this moment is my story, the AFCON 2013 that will forever
live, an enduring monument and indeed a needed spur.
A.
A. Ozioma
aaozioma@yahoo.com
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