Some of my readers who are admirers have written severally to remind me that my article captioned “WE ARE IN THE SECOND HALF” which was published sometime in July 2012 came two early. Now that the entire teams have spent 2yrs out of 4year tenure, they opined, is the real second half. Many requested for a repackaging and representation of the article and I agree with them. The article is therefore brought back with inputs borrowed from the happenings in the political arena especially in Imo State.
At the beginning of every tenure after elections, all elected politicians expectedly commence the implementation of their electoral promises otherwise called their manifesto. They usually set time frames and phases for the jobs they intend to accomplish.
This enables watchers and observers to follow and monitor compliance or absence of it. By so doing, a politician can be judged for a verdict.
It is natural to talk about stages of developments and invariably stages of accomplishment in these set out goals.
For elected politicians who enjoy a 4year tenure, the end of the first 2 years marks their half time. It is necessary at this time to evaluate how far maped out activities and set out goals or objectives have been implemented so as to achieve what economists and manufacturers refer to as capacity utilization of an installed machinery.
It is my candid opinion that at half of the stated period of time this evaluation should take place since the activities are for the whole period of 4 years. After 2 years on a job no one is expected to be learning the ropes or experimenting.
When we crossed into July 2013, the seventh month of the year which is about to end, it means that indeed we have successfully spent half of the tenure.
In a typical game setting whether it is football, handball or basketball, the half time period is very crucial as the teams in the games and their coaches use the opportunity to talk to individual players in the dressing room or corner, pointing out observed lapses, give admonitions and corrections and also give words of encouragement.
It does not matter whether a team is winning or losing, the truth is that the remaining second half is of utmost importance as it is expected to produce the winner which in essence is why people enter into competition.
In this case, the second half performance will determine who can be voted for again into a second tenure or support for a higher office. After all politics is a game.
Hence the coaches of the winning teams use the half time period to give what is known as 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, that is earn the truth in the mind of the electorate and prepare their mind for what comes next since out focus is on elected political offices occupants.
It must be emphasized that much of what happen in the field of play during the second half and the result it produces depend 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 whether the player is coming in as a substitute or continuing in the play as a regular.
Often times we hear coaches accuse their players of not playing to or according to instructions hence their loss.
This should be unacceptable because during the half time resumption, changes are allowed and introduced into the team to reduce team weakness by injecting new blood in the form of players for greater performance.
This is the essence of a reserved bench.
This is exactly why every coach or team manager must at the end of the game be sincere and courageous enough to take blames and responsibility for any lapses and consequent loses or conversely take credit for success thereafter.
Lets take a look at the historic Nigeria team that played against Brazil in the 1968 Olympic football competition.
At the end of the first half, the Nigerian team led Brazil by as many as three goals to nothing but at the end of the second half the game sews Brazil equalizing to end the game at three goals apiece.
The implication is that while Nigerian coach may have given his players the instruction to continue to be playing how they played in the first half, the Brazilian coach uttered his match plan introduced new players, played better than before and were therefore able to equalize a game that was concluded have been won by Nigerian.
Now consider a situation where Nigeria had introduced new players, for better strategy and more determination to harvest more goals. This scenario presents a beautiful case that must not be forgotten in a hurry.
This scenario repeated itself in reverse order during the 1996 Olympic Games football semi-final competition between same Nigeria and same Brazil.
Brazil led Nigerians by three (3) goals to one (1) at the end the first half.
While the Brazilian coach and players relied on conventional wisdom and started thinking of the next finals of the same competition and so began to play pranks and wait for time believing that all was well for their and that the game had more or less been won, Nigerian coaches altered their match plan, introduced a new players and instructed the team to change their style and double their zeal. The rest is now football history.
A similar feat had been performed in 1989 otherwise tagged Daman miracle where Russia led Nigerians by as much as five (5) goals to zero in the first half Coach Tunder 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, Nigerians came from behind and went ahead to defeat Russia in that junior world cup encounter. All there underscore and illustrate the importance evolution.
When you relate these stories to governance at both federal and state levels in Nigerians one would be forced to ask, are they or are we all really evaluating the performance of our government managers and their team players in the first two years of a 4 year tenure in terms of security, budgetary adherence, policy implementation, infrastructural development, the delivery on the promise of power, job creation, poverty eradication, preparation for the next flooding experience with the added dimension of communal clashes, inter-ethnic wars and incessant strike actions?
Those mega watts of electricity that was promised to be generated here not come forth instead we are having more power outages and increased traffics. We are still having insurrections, terrorizing, kidnapping horrible road accidents and rising unemployment with the continued devaluation of the naira.
It is possible for an elated office holder to assume that he or she is doing well all the team.
Are they blundered by a few early goals when some of them were scored against the run of play.
What are the various coaches, the president and state governors telling their key players, the ministers, commissioners personal and special assistants, advisers directors general and Chairman of Boards and parastatals.
Could it be to keep playing the same style of governance for the past two years which have not been very wonderful or are they making relevant changes or amendments so as to achieve their set out goals.
The Imo state governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has set the good example by the dissolution of his executive council. Here is hoping that new and better hands will be introduced while better play style and greater zeal to impress and achieve a return ticket come 2015/15.
Unlike the game of football where spectators have no access to the dressing rooms so as to contribute to what the coach tells the players but only stay at the gallery to wise their objection and or disappoints of any wrong actions, the Imo state governor characteristically allowed spectators into his dressing room to wise their approval or otherwise of some players urging the governor, the Chief coach to change some players, whether he does or will not eventually reflect on the out come of the remaining 2 years.
The Nigerian spectators also have the opportunity to contribute to the half time events through the media, parliaments and representatives No particular player must be preferred or of non performance became the spectators see and know which player is not playing well.
In this second half the president and governors need spectator inputs by ways of valuable suggestion and weak areas of their administration and teams so as to make the second half and in victory for Nigeria and not just were crippling criticisms.
In the case of football spectator’s physically attack their players because of lack of access to contribute. In the case of governance the spectators have the much needed access to the dressing rooms.
Are there ministers or commissioners two powerful or two connected to be replaced. We should borrow a leaf from the Egyptian coach in the 2010. African Nation Cup finals where a supposedly simper player objected to being replaced and even refused to leave the pitch after official replacement to him he was the best thing that happened to Egyptian football as he behaved that he was playing very well. I ironically the player who replaced him scored Egypt winning goal that enable them high the cup.
Unfortunately in the case of policies there is no injury time and even if there is, it could produce incapacitating injuring.
To play into injury time policies is risky, the last Imo state government of Governor Ikedi Ohakim waited for injury time, are second tenure to impress Ndi Imo but was swept away at injury time.
To be in the second half means that the first half is gone. And if it was a failure the second half corrective as it may be may prove disappointing.
The spectator in Imo in the half time break before second half resumption wise out their observation on wings that were contributing to weakness of the team. The governor Owelle Roichas Okorocha now has the half players and pattern.
We the spectators are waiting for the final whistle, the signal that the game is over and we will show the head coach pepper or as usual dance with him along the street in jubilation. It has happened before.
