The myth about ‘leap years’ may have beamed its lugubrious searchlight from its dark haven on the sporting world. The leap year is a creation of Julius Caesar. It occurs every for years where an additional day is added to the month of February. Instead of ending 28 days, it becomes 29 days instead.
Caesar introduced the leap year to simplify the calendar, and make up for that additional revolution of the planet. He did not however realize that his ruling will breed superstitions that has survive many generations after him until today. The scariest party of the leap year myth is its grim reaper scare. It is believed the sprit of death is unleashed.
It is believed the leap year causes a surge in global deaths. There is no scientific explanation to that but a quick role call of holly wood deaths, of Kuya Germs, David Bowie, Harper Lee, Umberto Eco, Alan Rickman, Celine Dion’s husband all died in the first two months of 2016 is a reminder that the myth might just have some truth about it.
In the sporting world, Mohammed Ali, the undisputed greatest boxing icon succumbed to Parkinson disease. While the world was yet to come to terms with his demise, our own Stephen Okechukwu Keshi died mysteriously. Keshi is still in the morgue when the news of Shuaibu Amodu hit the newsstand. Within a week the sporting world lost some of it’s finest.
Other notable sports deaths of 2016 include the followings; Gordie Howe, hockey player; Brooks Thompson, basketball coach; Ruben Quevedo, baseball player; Sean Rooks, basketball player; Kimbo Slice and Donny Everett, baseball player.
The death of our sport icons is indeed a sad reminder that life is transient. Its even scarier for growing sports personalities over a bleak future that awaits them in Nigeria. Most of our sport icons died without getting the best out of a country they sweated for in their youthful days.
While we morn the deceased, we must ask questions why players and coaches are either paid peanuts or owed when they are supposed to get their entitlements. The most marginalized are the coaches. It is possible to pay a foreign coach who earns many times more than a Nigerian coach. Sadly our Nigerian coaches are paid less and owed more.
Coach Amodu’s relatives revealed the man died trying to access monies owed him by Edo state government and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They even intimated he died in penury, lamenting over a frustrating condition bestowed on him by lack of regard for Nigerian sports icons, an odoriferous disrespect that emanates from those managing the only unifying event in Nigeria – football.
The leap year myth, the poor or completely absent remuneration of coaches salaries may be a child’s play to alleged spiritual warfare among prominent sporting personalities and managers of Nigerian sports federation. The grim reality of plausible spiritual attacks in the glass house was made public by former Supper Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh.
Oliseh thinks some diabolical attacks were targeted at him while he was saddled with the leadership of the national team. The Delta State born tactician was quoted to have warned those fond of putting hands in their pockets before shaking him to desist as he feared they touch objects concealed in their pockets before offering to shake him.
Mystery surrounds the death of Rashidi Yekini. It is being speculated that he was killed through diabolic means. It is also instructive to intimate that he died poor, mentally insane and totally lived a frustrated life. After serving Nigeria meritoriously, our sporting icons ended up in a life sustained with immense regrets. Another case is that of our own boxing legend Bash Ali. Ali is alive but a frustrated man who begged to be funded for an all time fight. He lived a life of a destitute in Abuja unheeded.
A bitter message is being sent out to those who might take sporting as a profession. It is important to remember that not every human brain is conditioned to understanding learned education in the classroom. A game that would earn fame and “financial infamy” is indeed disheartening and socially disastrous. Once youths cant find cover in a pastime like football to make a living, we can be assured they will take steps towards the wrong direction.
Beside the back turn of having street misfits on account of poor management of our sporting personalities, a lot can be achieved positively if they are properly managed and taken care of. Now people can see reason why our football players seek better opportunities outside the country. they’d rather play for another country than theirs on account of established negative treatment unleashed on loyal sporting icons.
Mohammed Ali is dubbed the greatest because he wasn’t only a boxer, but a civil right activist, philanthropist, a mentor and a moralist. He couldn’t have achieved the mileage he is renown for if his country treated him shabbily. He was indeed a hero who got as much as he gave to his country.
Nigeria can indeed harness greatly from our sport icons. The country can use them to advocate for peace, dissipate tension and push for a collective aspiration that will grow our economy and evolve the spirit of camaraderie. They can go through the length and breadth of the country on advocacy missions. The love people have for them will make their messages pass through even the thickest heart more easily than guns and threats would.
If John F. Kennedys postulation on “it is not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” is correct, then once you are done doing for your country, it is expected that the country should do for you too. If these people are preserved properly, perhaps Nigeria would be reaping bountifully from their change advocacy against terrorism, armed banditry. Sadly, we are burying them when we need them most.
. Ebije can be reached via: ebijeo5@gmail.com or @ebijeisrael.
