Blessed by Bishops!
When he called me up last Friday I knew instantly there was something he wanted to share. He was hosting other Bishops in Ado Ekiti who were there to be a part of the burial ceremony of the mother of Ekiti State Governor, my friend, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Trust Bishop Ajakaye, after our usual chit […]
When he called me up last Friday I knew instantly there was something he wanted to share.
He was hosting other Bishops in Ado Ekiti who were there to be a part of the burial ceremony of the mother of Ekiti State Governor, my friend, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Trust Bishop Ajakaye, after our usual chit chat he would never let me go without a bout of spiritual blessings. He prayed for me, prayed for Rashidi Yekini and then handed the phone over to other Bishops that were with him at the time. There was the Most Reverend Father Mathew Kukah, Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic church, who immediately recalled our last encounter at the Amsterdam airport many years ago. He also prayed for me and for late Yekini. Then it was the turn of Bishop Badejo, younger brother of my friend, Peter Badejo, Every time I encountered Bishop Badejo, he would run mock commentaries about my football exploits, mimicking any one of the great radio commentators of old. He did that again and also showered me with prayers.
Trust Bishop Ajakaye. When he came back to the line, he did not let me go without a little surprise.
He told me he had written an article in honour of Rashidi Yekini that he wanted me to read. He would send it to me within minutes if I checked my email. He did within minutes. I read through it and felt that I had to do some justice to it by surrendering this column to his expressions. That’s exactly what I have done. Please enjoy Bishop Ajakaye’s thoughts on Rashidi.
Rashidi Yekini: Don’t Cry For Me Nigeria, by Bishop Felix Ajakaye
Life is God’s special gift to a person. On the other hand, a person’s way of life is the prerequisite for the last judgement after the person’s sojourn on earth. (FFA) The above statement is part of my personal reflection on death.
Meanwhile, I have come to note that there is never a dull moment in our beloved country, Nigeria, whether in happy moments or sad moments, hard times or joyful times.
Generally, the ‘shock absorbers’ of Nigerians are specially made. Most Nigerians get over things easily and get on with life, even when times are tough and their leaders are enriching themselves and sucking the country dry. In Nigeria, we are also fond of neglecting what we ought to have done, particularly for the living, and we begin to shed crocodile tears at the demise of the living. Recently too, it was also reported that the dead body of an impeached Speaker of the House of Representatives had to be de-impeached by the Members for the dead Speaker to be given a national burial. There can never be any dull moment in Nigeria.
At the moment, the focus of attention is the death of the greatest goal ‘merchant’ Nigeria has ever produced in football, Rashidi Yekini. Since the report of the news of the death of this business-like footballer on Friday, May 4, 2012, so many things are being said and written about the man, his life, his football exploits and death.
Trust Nigerians. Those who never even knew him are now claiming to be close to him and are presenting the public with fictitious writings as facts.
The most painful aspect of it is the way and manner the people at the corridors of power are mourning Yekini, showering him with lots of encomiums and describing him as a great hero. Nigeria’s President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, was one of the first people to ‘express sadness’ on the death of the strong striker. Through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, the President saw Yekini’s death as ‘untimely and unfortunate’.
Furthermore, Dr Jonathan stated: ‘It was a delight watching his fast-paced, goal-bound moves at international football competitions as he was feared by goal-keepers and defenders alike. He epitomized patriotism, discipline, hard work, commitment and humility’ (Sunday Punch, May 6, 2012, p. 74). The same Punch newspaper reported that the President ‘expressed regret that illness might have held Yekini down from imparting his football expertise and skills to the younger generation of footballers after his retirement from active play (and) enjoined his family, fans and Nigerians to continue to cherish the memories of the high points of his career’.
Really, the President’s statement has prompted me to write this article, Rashidi Yekini: Don’t cry for me Nigeria. This is in reference to Don’t cry for me Argentina, a song from the 1978 musical, Evita, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. President Jonathan’s description of Yekini’s death as ‘untimely and unfortunate’ is a challenge to his government. If Yekini was considered really patriotic, disciplined, hard working and humble as the President would like us to believe, why was he not celebrated before his death?
The question is, how can we ‘continue to cherish the memories of the high points of his career’ as admonished by President Jonathan when we tend not to have interest in documentaries in the country? This is a task for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). We need to be able to recall and watch the patriotic, disciplined and committed Green Eagles that won the African Cup of Nations in Nigeria in 1980. There is the need to watch the Eagles of the 1990s who dazzled the world with their unique style of football. We must learn from and celebrate the past, for our football to develop concretely.
Realistically, Nigerians must learn from Yekini’s death and take positive actions to avoid losing our heroes as a result of negligence and selfishness. We must have respect for human life and care for one another, no matter our tribe and religion. All of us are from the same one source, God.
I wonder why some people, claiming to be Yekini’s neighbours, have suddenly found their voices to tell the world that Yekini was forcibly taken from his home in Ibadan, leg-chained and bruised. Why did they have to wait until their ‘neighbour’ was declared dead before speaking out? Why did they not raise an alarm when Yekini was being abducted? Is this how to be our neighbour’s keeper?
A planless life is a purposeless life. Our football players too must strive to have the right attitude, plan their lives properly and prepare for the rainy day. They should strive to seek assistance from sincere and purposeful people and invest properly. They must not be spending their money on buying luxury automobiles and living flamboyantly. The NFF too should not just focus on the joy of the moment. They should not use and dump players. Instead, NFF should be tactical and engage in genuine plans for the development of football and footballers in Nigeria.
On their part too, governments, corporate bodies and individuals must not wait for heroes to die before they begin to dole out money to the families of the deceased. They should be supported whilst they are alive. Actually, in some cases, announcements are made, promises are never kept, with the proposed recipients never receiving anything. An example is the family of the late Green Eagles goalkeeper, Mr Best Anthony Ogedegbe, the goalkeeper during the 1980 African Cup of Nations. When Mr Ogedegbe died in 2009, monetary promises were made by some state governments, groups and individuals to his wife, Mrs Folasade Ogedegbe, and her two daughters, Yejide and Gloria. Unfortunately, only few were ever fulfilled. Hopefully, if such governments and people are reading this article, they will remember their promises and still act promptly. ‘
Yes, this is why Rashidi Yekini is saying, ‘Don’t cry for me Nigeria’. Instead, Nigeria should do something! Adieu, Rashidi Yekini, Nigeria’s highest ever goal scorer (he scored 37 goals
in 58 appearances), 1993 African Footballer of the year, and the first Nigerian to score a goal at the World Cup. Sleep well too Mr Joe Appiah (another footballer), Prof. Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, the deceased Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, and Sir Dele Ige, the younger brother of the slain Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. “He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever”
(Revelation 21:4).
Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye
Bishop of Ekiti