It is natural to talk about stages of development and invariably stages of accomplishment in any set out goal.
Every January of each New Year, many people engage in what has become commonly known as New Year Resolution, which are expected to be peoples’ guiding principles for conduct and achievements throughout the year.
Also at the beginning of the year, the governments at various levels broadcast their budget speeches for the year. This is never a sudden event as it is always well planned and rehearsed.
Also institutions of learning map out courses of study for each year, no matter the level.
Virtually, all activities are programmed into time, phases and stages to ensure accomplishment.
In all these, yours truly think that it is necessary at certain points, to evaluate how far those maped out activities and set out goals or objectives have been implemented so as to achieve what manufacturers refer to as capacity utilization of any installed machinery.
It is my candid opinion that at half of the stated period of time, this evaluation should take place. Since most of the activities are yearly, the best time to evaluate should be at half of the year as soon as the month of June enters its end period.
When we crossed into the month of July, the seventh month of the year, it meant that we have successfully spent half of the year.
In a typical game setting whether it is football, hand ball or basket ball, the half time period is very crucial as both sides and their coaches use the opportunity to talk to individual players in the dressing room or corner.
It does not matter whether a team is winning or losing, the truth is that the next second half is of utmost importance as it is expected to produce the winner which is the essence of entering into competition.
Hence the coaches of the winning team give pep talks to their players to ensure that the team maintains their winning position. The coaches of the losing team use the half time period to plug all identified loop holes so as to approach the second half with more caution, greater zeal and better strategy to outwit their opponents and ultimately emerge winner.
It must be emphasized that much of what happens in the field of play during the second half and the result it produces depend more on the coaches or managers instructions, because the players at this point enter the field of play with what they have been instructed to do in mind.
Often times we hear coaches say “My players did not play to or according to my instructions hence their loss”.
This is laughable because during the half time resumption; changes are allowed and introduced into the team to reduce weakness by injecting new blood for greater performance. This is exactly why every coach must at the end of the game, be sincere and courageous enough to take blames and responsibility for any lapse and consequent loses or take credit for success thereafter.
Take a look at the historical Nigerian Football team that playedBrazilin the 1968 Olympic Football Competition.
At the end of the first half the Nigerian team ledBrazilby three goals to nothing but the end of the second half sawBrazilequalising to end the game at three goals apiece.
The implication is that while the Nigerian coach may have given his players the instruction to continue to play how they had been playing, the Brazilian coach altered his match plan, played better than before and were therefore able to equalise a game that was concluded to have been won by Nigeria.
How I wish that the situation on the Nigerian side had been that of introduction of better players, better strategy and more determination to harvest more goals.
The scenario repeated itself in reverse order in 1996 Olympic games football games semi – final competition between sameNigeriaand sameBrazil. BrazilledNigeriaby three (3) goals to one (1) at the end of the first half.
While the Brazilian coach and players started thinking of the next finals of the same competition and so began to play tricks and wait for time, believing that all was well for them, the Nigerian coaches instructed their players to change their style and double their zeal. The rest is now football history.
A similar feat had been performed in 1989 otherwise tagged Damman Miracle where Russia led Nigeria by as much as five (5) goals to zero (0) in the first half.
Coach Tunde Disu of soccer fame, during the second half overhauled his team in almost every department of the game and to the amazement of the whole world, Nigeria came from behind and went ahead to defeat Russia in that junior world cup encounter.
All these underscore and illustrate the importance of the half time evaluation.
When you relate these stories to governance at both federal and state levels in Nigeria, one would be forced to ask, are they or are we all really evaluating the performance of our government managers in the first six months of 2012 in terms of security., budgetary adherence, policy implementation, infrastructural development and so on especially as those mega watts of electricity that was said would be generated are not forth coming and instead we are having more cases of power failure, of insurrections, terrorism, kidnapping, horrible road accidents and rising unemployment with continued devaluation of our currency to mention a few.
What are the various coaches; the President and State Governors telling their key players, the Minsters, Commissioners, Personal and Special Advisers, Directors – general and Chairmen of boards and parastatals etc. Could it be, to keep playing the same style of governance or are they making changes or amendments so as to achieve their set out goals.
How I wish that unlike the game of football where spectators have no hands and access to the dressing rooms, so as to contribute to what the players are told, but only stay at the gallery to voice their objection and or disapprovals of any wrong actions; that the Nigerian populace who bear the brunt of every misgovernance, should through the various parliaments and news media make critical but valuable suggestions to the President and Governors on weak areas of their administration and teams so that as soon as the second half commenced and indeed it has, visible improvements will be infused and seen to have been infused.
Bearing in mind, it is the helplessness of the fans and spectators of football matches over contributions to half time pep talks at the dressing rooms that lead the fans to attacking their team members of they lose at the end of the game and at times with dire consequences, shall we have any reasons or morals to call those people names, who have been entrusted with the management of the peoples governmental business if we only sit and watch while our collective affairs are mismanaged.
Are there governmental watch dogs alive to their civic duties especially of the human and civil rights groups?
Are there ministers or commissioners too powerful or too connected to be replaced?
We should borrow a leaf from the coach of the Egyptian national football coach in the last nation’s cup final where a supposedly powerful player objected to being replaced and even refused to leave the football pitch.
To him he was playing very well and perhaps the best thing that happened to his country but the irony is that the player who replaced him scored forEgyptthe goal that gave them the final victory.
We must ensure that the game ends in the interval or distance and that our team wins.
To play into the injury time is the greatest risk became at this time anything can happen.
At injury time, it is no longer tact or strategy but luck. If you are in doubt consult the Brazilian team that playedNigeriain the semi – finals of the Olympic football competition in 1996.
Now is the time to critically and properly evaluate and review our teams performances at the various levels of government because in any examination where fifty percent is already lost failure lurks in the corner. The best that can be achieved is a mere pass. The talk about excellence is already a lost a forfeited matter.
Are all those who are itching to re-contest listening?
Those who are calling of impeachments of whosoever is missing the point. You do not change the coach in the middle of the game.
If you do, would the new coach continue with same old players or start recruiting new ones?
The best we can do at this time is to vehemently point out the wings that are not contributing to success and call for a changes.
If you must change your coach, then first concede defeat to opposition and start to groom a new coach with a new team, that is if governance is a game.
