The madness of Senegal

In the twilight of last year, national publicity secretary of People’s Democratic Party, Comrade Ini Ememobong, addressing a party meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital, quoted immediate past chief exec of the state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, as having said that there are good problems. I do not know if the phrase is original to Mr. Emmanuel but I like it. No need to waste time wondering why. Everybody hates problems but nobody would not love good problems.

And, if it is not too early for a little mischief, let us digress more. One of the hitherto central figures of PDP (from its very foundation), Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN (former law don at the University of Uyo, former chairman of Etim Ekpo local government, former state treasurer of the party, former serial honourable commissioner) recently took every one unawares when he broke a personal vow by crosstituting to the national governing party. At the ad hoc event in his hometown, attended by Akwa Ibom state governor and his deputy, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi, Ph.D, as well as president of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, GCON, and minister of petroleum resources (gas), Rt. Hon. (Obongemem) Ekperikpe Ekpo, among others, the new entrant managed to drag former Gov. Emmanuel into the developing conversation. He wants the current governor to do everything to get his predecessor (still his political father?) over to their party.

This now is why it is important to bring this matter here. Mr. Udom Emmanuel has shown he is a special man. With all the mud of satanic ingratitude thrown at him so far, it is shocking to see that his decision to neither react in words nor action is working big time. On the other hand, it is interesting how one party can get so desperate to get just one man who, I can confirm, shall not go down there -whatever that means.

While this writer is interested in getting the former governor to tell if the Udom-Emmanuel-must-crosstitute-conundrum is a good problem, let it be said that it dovetails, at the other extreme, with the madness of Senegal. What Senegal displayed during the finale of the last AFCON was good madness. No man, no woman, no child, no human being, nobody should suffer dehumanising, insulting injustice like a coward when patience seems foolish. Life is too short not to stand up to definitive extreme nonsensifications of excellence!

For those who did not follow the last Africa Cup of Nations football tourney, here is the one detail the world is unanimous about: officiating was a miss every time hosts, Morocco, played. It looked as if the gods of football had approved for Confederation of African Football to direct referees to blow nonsense just so Morocco won the cup. The Ghanaian, Daniel Nii Laryea, who handled the Nigeria-Morocco semi-final was not a referee; he was more like a mercenary undertaker hired to bury own neighbour. The way the guy looked away the many times Moroccans flouted the laws of the game so flagrantly, I thought it was an inter-village match and not on live television.

That unsportsmanlike stratagem, plus and minus, was what took the hosts to the final. However, because, as we say in Nigeria, 99 days for the thief and one day for the owner, Senegal, the other finalists, came prepared. You can say the francophone West Africans came mad. I am sure they kept subvocalising, “if Morocco think they are mad, Senegal will prove we are madder.”

It was the Teranga (also spelt Teraanga) Lions of Senegal who drew the first blood. Surprisingly, DR Congolese referee, Jean-Jacques Ndala, cancelled what seemed a clean goal and connived with VAR to proceed without cross-checking. Then, with less than two minutes left of regulation time, he awarded an obvious soft penalty to hosts, Atlas Lions. Seeing the writing on the wall, the visitors walked off the pitch, a prototypical example of good madness (the impasse lasted all of 18 minutes).

When sanity was restored -thanks to Sadio Mané, a captain who was not the captain- Brahim Diaz, opting for a panenka, wasted the golden opportunity. After extra time, Pape Gueye’s lone goal was the decider. For once, evil, injustice, robbery failed, or lost, or both. The world has been reflecting on this, ever since and I believe there is something really big in that for Nigerians.

First though, Nigerians can dig or look deeper into the Senegalese spirit with a view to gleaning one value or two. Teraanga is the national ethos of Senegal, which speaks to how hospitable and welcoming the country is. Teranga Lions are innately peaceable and welcoming but when confronted by another pride of lions who flaunted Stone Age tactics of inhospitability and intimidation, these same quiet people transformed into something else. Since peaceability has not worked for Nigerians, perhaps tigritude shall get our leaders to sit up.

Second though, attention please. “I am a good sportman, but I will never accept being robbed in front of the entire world. I loved the responsiveness and mindset of the Senegalese: whether it was the staff, the players, or the supporters, everything was perfect at the right moment. That’s my opinion.

“I couldn’t care less about (good) sportsmanship when injustice tries to take precedence and tarnish my legacy. I will never accept it. If Senegal hadn’t reacted the way they did, it would have been over for them in this AFCON. Let CAF and FIFA ban all the officials and Senegalese football for life if they want: their second star is in the bag, and it’s well deserved.

“… , right in the middle of the match, Moroccan ball boys, along with Moroccan players on the bench, were trying to disrupt the Senegalese goalkeeper by taking his towel, when he needed it to wipe his face—especially since it was drizzling lightly. Just simple towels. They did the same thing to the Nigerian goalkeeper. Is that (good) sportsmanship too?

“They were ready to do anything to win this AFCON. (But) Senegal was rock-solid on every front, not just the sporting one. I will never accept injustice in the name of so-called (good) sportsmanship. Never.

“The goal by Senegal that was disallowed was a valid goal. If it had been Morocco scoring that same goal, on the same play, the referees would never have disallowed it. That’s a fact.” That was Ivorian football legend, Yaya Toure, shooting his mind shots!

Again, confirmed, Senegal’s was good madness. Someone came brazenly for them, they fought back more brazenly. I am a hundred percent with Mr Toure, CAF and FIFA can shout themselves hoarse all they want but Morocco are not champions of Africa. It is a very painful experience, especially as a Nigerian, to see people celebrate or enjoy victory procured through the backdoor (emphasis mine).

The madness of Senegal was a good one. When they saw that they had been pushed to the wall, they stood up for themselves and began to push back violently (that is, against expectation). This is the madness that Nigerians, after a century of being messed up by the Nigerian factor, must emulate -going forward. As the next general polls approach, Nigeria and Nigerians should borrow a leaf from the playbook of Senegal and Senegalese and break tables if need be because God is ready to favour us as He did the humble, fearless lions.

We need to rise and rescue our country, nationally and subnationallly. We cannot and should not continue to swallow just about anything politicians throw at us. For instance, the governing party recently started what it calls e-registration, which some citizen journalists have said is a preemptive rigging strategy. There was even a video last week I think from Dr Alex Otti’s Abia state to that effect.

Furthermore, in my home state of Akwa Ibom, the governor persistently drives against the traffic of decency. He gleefully and hypocritically announces every time that he runs Akwa Ibom United, politically, but the same man -a pastor- publicly tells the world that those looking for board appointments must have the membership card of a particular party. Well, I am alarmed that this alarms me about this governor considering that the man has already over-alarmed me. This same man sacked two of his aides, who used to work with his predecessor, because they accompanied the latter whom he used to call “my political father” to the event of another political party; the same political party that sponsored his election in 2023!

How can anyone be alarmed anymore by whatever else such a man does or says? Perhaps, in my case, the problem is me. I no longer understand myself. How can and why should I lose sleep over a man who tells contractors that unless they took the membership card of his new political party, no contracts; a man who sends a woman to prison over what again?

Pray, where would this man keep his face when things go kaput tomorrow, as they sure shall, and he recrosstitutes to or seeks the help of the same PDP? Generally, how would these current men and women and children of power react tomorrow when they leave power and power leaves them? Do they not bother where posterity will keep them? Or, do they believe Nigerians shall forever suffer memory loss?

As I see it, the way out is for Nigerians and Akwaibomights, willy nilly, to necessarily display Senegal-like madness: good madness. We cannot continue to remain apathetic. Our country, our state, is dying -as we say- “small, small.” To rescue our homeland, we must all say and mean that we have had enough of our political amnesia and enough of our unpatriotic hypersomnolence.

Both in our personal and public lives, good madness is the last-resort way to go. Akwaibomights say that a son can best communicate his readiness for marriage by pretending to chase his father’s wife. Good pretence, right? Gov. Sim Fubara of Rivers state now enjoys the office because he dared to show that he also had a drop of (good) madness in his brain.

This is the point I have been labouring to make all day. When all good good fail, try good bad: good amnesia, or good anger, or good pretence, or good rubbish, or good stupidity. They are as talismanic as good madness. They never fail.

Too many people (such as most Nigerian leaders) treat us poorly because they think we are too weak to hit back. They force us to rethink that being gentle is a curse. A family or a people known for madness -good madness- is feared; not so for a family peopled by gentlemen. Make your choice now and do not say tomorrow that I did not forewarn you early enough.

God bless Nigeria!