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Vandalism: Actuality in Nigeria’s World Cup qualification?
The Black Stars of the Republic of Ghana, sealed the fate of the Green Eagles of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a 1-1 away playoff draw in Abuja (Nigeria) on Tuesday, over their World Cup qualification to Qatar.
Indeed, to the excruciating pain of the Nigerians, the Black Stars qualified to journey to Qatar in November to participate in the World Cup on the “away goals rule”.
The Green Eagles, who had appeared in six of the previous seven World Cups, had been expected by most of the over 60,000 spectators in the Abuja Stadium, to book a place again after the first leg of their playoff-tie ended 0 – 0 in Ghana on Friday, 18th March, 2022.
With their victory over the Green Eagles, the Black Stars are making a return to the World Cup after missing the 2018 edition in Russia, four years ago.
Reportedly, Nigerian fans stormed the pitch and vandalised the Moshood Abiola Stadium, as a fall out from their surprise to qualify for the World Cup after the final whistle of the match.
Really, the Nigerian fans at the stadium reacted to the result of the match with vandalism.
According to Wikipedia, vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction or damage to public or private property.
As a crime, football vandalism can become more serious and distressing when committed extensively and violently or as expression of hatred and intimidation.
According to criminological research, vandalism serves many purposes for those who engage in it and stems from a variety of motives.
But in the Nigerian situation, it could be described as malicious vandalism, caused by violent outpouring of frustration and rage as a result of Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the World Cup.
In view of its incivility, punishment for vandalism can be particularly severe in some countries. But what do we see in Nigeria and Africa in general?
Reportedly, the Nigerian security was slow to react to the violence, which included the invasion of the football pitch when the final whistle was blown. And the Ghana players and supporters were left to battle their own way out of the terrible situation.
The police, reports said, beat the rioters with their batons, while it took tear gas on the pitch to disperse the unruly fans.
Even though sometimes, some high profile local and international football matches are replete with some degrees of vandalism, the Nigerian situation is seemingly becoming ” a World Cup norm”.
It is recalled that the Monday 12th February 1973 edition of the then Daily Graphic, had a banner headline: “Ghana Bus Set Ablaze …as Black Stars win in Lagos”.
The story said, “pandemonium broke out at the Lagos Stadium on Saturday (10th February, 1973) soon after the Black Stars had scored their third and winning goal in their World Cup elimination match against Nigeria.
“Stones and bottles were thrown onto the pitch in protest as the Black Stars jubilated.
“But the jubilation could not be sustained when the spectators surged onto the field.
“At this stage, the Lagos State Military Governor, Col. Mobolaji Jonathan, personally led a team of armed personnel to protect the Stars. The troops escorted the Stars off the pitch.
“A rough deal was , therefore, unleashed on the Ghanaian supporters who accompanied the team to Nigeria. It was during this onslaught that the supporters’ bus was set on fire. The wrecked van was still smouldering yesterday morning.
“The Nigerian troops had to use tear gas to disperse the angry crowd. The game was abandoned soon after the Ghanaians had scored the winning goal.”
The Ghana line-up for the game was ; Lante France, Enoch Asumadu, Ayi Acquah, Tetteh Gorleku, Dan Oppong, Sam Amarteifio, John Taylor/Peter Lamptey, Eric Amankwa, Kwasi Owusu , Isaac Eshun and Malik Jabir (Captain).
Readers, the question, therefore, is: For how long will Nigeria continue inflicting violence on Ghana during World Cup qualifying series ?
The question is asked in the context that; unpunished vandalism can provide relief which reinforces the behaviour to recur.
Contact email/ WhatsApp of author:
asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
By G. Frank Asmah
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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