ASM KNOCKS OUT AMM AS EJIGBADERO RUNS FOR OLUOMO AT AJIGBOTAFE ‘NATIONAL’ STADIUM

Story by Razaq Adedeji Jimoh

To one with heart of humanity, politics is a sport, not the act of brigandage some people of beastly instinct have always made it. In a tango of two, it is like a boxing bout or wrestling match in which a knockout or pinfall as respectively applicable gives the victor a desirable ovation while the villain licks his wounds of defeat expectedly in the spirit of sportsmanship. In team, it could run like a game of soccer to the enthusiasm of liberal spectators as much as to the respective fans of the teams.

This latter one makes the allegorical sporting event of soccer match between the Asiwaju Solidarity Movement (ASM) of the SDG Nationals and Alimosho Mandate Movement (AMM) of the Lagos Gavel. It was held at the main bowl of Akinyemi Ajibotafe ‘National’ Stadium in Omole Phase II, Ojodu, Berger. Being a neutral venue sufficient to guarantee the safety and unbiased outcome of the match outside Alimosho made the qualifying ‘National’ for the Stadium. A freelance sport correspondent, aka Alasingaporialistic who fed this writer the match narratives, identified men of the match as Prince Idris Balogun (aka Oluomo Kaafata) for the ASM and Alhaji Abiodun Ejibadero (aka Eji) for the AMM.

Another source identified many of the dignitaries among the spectators to include some members of the Lagos State Executive Cabinet; a former Executive Chairman of Yaba Local Government, Hon Jimoh who has just been appointed a member of the Federal Civil Service Commission as Commissioner representing Lagos and Ogun; and Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf of the subdued, old and dieing Premier League Champion – the BATCO-Mandate of Osun sourced Oranmiyan Dynasty in Alimosho. This writer would later learn that Akinbile-Yusuf had come to witness the match as a rivalry of two siblings of a single mother to learn about real sportsmanship of politics as against the cultural brigandage of her dieng team. She indeed had enough to enthral with as the source revealed.

According to the sport correspondent, the match commenced at about 2pm immediately the Match Commissioner, a talented Juju musician (name withheld to avoid unpaid advert) came into the soccer pitch to kick start the game. After tossing the coin with a beautiful melody of songs that set all the spectators on impulsive body wriggling to the arresting lyrics and synchronic beats for acoustic impressions, the AMM striker, Eji, was seen to have passed the ball as he came on stage to spray the naira.

Thus to say in short minutes of taking possession of the ball, Eji had dribbled through the ASM defence. Amidst the spontaneous hailing – AMM! AMM!! AMM!! – by fans and goal enthusiasts among the spectators, he appeared to be enthralled with his dribbling prowess. Soon, he seemed to have held the ball for too long within the 18-Yard of the SDG Nationals. An opportunity for a goal was said to have been lost, as ASM got the ample time for a wholesome fallback to form a defensive shield that became too difficult for Eji to penetrate.

He eventually fired a kick from the left flank after a returned pass from his team mate. The high ball got a header from ASM Full Back to put the ball over the bar for a corner kick. But the timely positioning of the ASM goal keeper saved this.

The ASM keeper dropped the ball for his Right Fullback man, who gave the rolling ball two forward touches and quickly made the third a firing shot at the approach of an AMM Centre Forward running to him for a tackle. The ball landed at the right foot of the ASM Forward Right who almost lost possession in attempt to roll the ball for a 180-degree turn to face the AMM goal post. The coming AMM man however missed the ball for a leg kick. It was a hard tackle enough to earn ASM a free kick. The high ball played from that gave possession to the ASM striker, Oluomo Kaafata, a possession right at the edge of 18-yard box of the Lagos Gavel.

The sheering shindig from spectators’ gallery suddenly changed: ASM! ASM!! ASM!!! It came as Oluomo made nonsense of the AMM feeble defence shield, dribbling all into the small box to face the goal post with the goal keeper and Eji as the barriers to netting the ball. As the former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, once said motivationally to Nigerians at the qualifying match for Atlanta ’92 World Cup in the main bowl of Lagos National Stadium: “When you sheer before a goal, you are only stimulating. But when you sheer after a goal is scored, you are reacting to an impulse”.

This would seem to be the beautiful lot of the SDG Nationals' fans, as they changed their chanting: Kaafata! Kaafata!! Kaafata!!! The shindig came as the two strikers now faced each other. Oluomo had given the goal keeper a tactical dribble of raising the ball over his head. It is called ‘height measurement’ in soccer jargons. Eji had rushed back to take cover at the goal-post line. It made the climax of the game as the siblings of thoughtful same father and mother turned half-brothers now confronted each other in a friendly match played like a decisive one.

At this juncture, the clarity of this satiric paternal dispute might be imperative. The AMM has not denied their motherhood of ASM matriarch. Joke Orelope is the substantive leader of Alimosho, they insist. Their claim is that they had just discovered their paternal sirehood by a father from the lineage of Oranmiyan Dynasty. This has set the basis for their grouse with the Mother ASM. They want a right to inheritance of their father’s right to the Alimosho commonwealth property – to mean the sharing of political slots.

But the ASM Matriarch insists that there is no basterred in the ASM family. She however acknowledges that though they were orphans she picked in their roamings on the streets, she had never discriminated against them as her true-born. What she might not have told them is that the paternal origin of the Lagos Garvel they now claim is one currently beholding to the Alimosho commonwealth – the Commissioner slot – by privilege of her own concessioning large heart to the wish of that lineage father they have just found.

The whole truth nevertheless lurks in the future. Only time will unravel the mystery with the right key. But a Yoruba adage says: Satide to ba ma sanni ojo Jimo l’ati n mo – that a Saturday that holds blessings for one will easily be known on Friday. A good verity for this would seem to be in the friendly match between both sides in discuss.

Back to the soccer pitch, Oluomo was reportedly poised and resolved to score a goal for the SDG Nationals. Eji was also poised to fence it off for the Lagos Gavel as they both kept their gazes at the ball. Of course, this was not a penalty kick. Eji, not being a goal keeper cannot catch a kick with his hands, so diving to prevent a goal was out of it. And here was an ASM striker with several tactics for scoring a goal. As at the last rating, he had scored 25 goals in five matches. In the ASM match with BATCO-Mandate of Oranmiyan Dynasty held at Alimosho local stadium in Ikotun, he reportedly scored six goals in the first half of the match. The bias of Governor, who misled the spectators with the song – Enilolobo mare o – set in the confusion that made many to think it was a game of the latter.

But here is an encounter on a neutral ground. The sheering was now louder from the both fans. Eji! Eji!! Eji!!! was high in pitch as Oluomo-Kaafata! Oluomo-Kaafata!! Oluomo-Kaafata!!! equally went up continuously in shindig. But the ASM’S indisputably overwhelmed the acoustics of the event hall – the soccer main bowl.

All this time being discussed was a fraction of minutes. At the end, Oluomo gave a false kick of open air that impulsively flung Eji to the right in body movement. The sequential and quick real kick to the left thus rolled the ball into the net seamlessly. For real, as the correspondent reported, Oluomo kept stretching his hands for bails and bails of new Maura notes to spray.

IT- IS - A - GOAL!!! The shout rented the field air as spectators rushed to the field. “1 : 0”, the electronic board read instantaneously. ASM, one; AMM, zero! So the match ended on Saturday October 27, 2023. The local talking drummers in their ubiquitous presence also began their potential tirade of angst:

Adejoke, w'eyin re wo

W'eyin re wo

Bi o l’omo ogun

Bo l’omo ogun

Weyin re wo