Lionel Messi is the World’s greatest footballer. He is an Argentine with mercurial football prowess. He plays for FC Barcelona, a Spanish football club that has won anything one can think of in world football. He is gifted in the art of dribbling. He is capable of making mesmerising moves – a feat that ranks him among the greatest footballers on earth after the great Arantes De Nascimento (Pele) and Diego Maradona.
Messi is a gifted player whose precision and soccer artistry is simply phenomenal. Severally, we have seen on TV screens how he lifted Barcelona to the zenith of world football. How he attaches so much importance and seriousness in every game he plays. The burning passion to win and succeed at all times stands Messi out as a unique footballer. His passion for his club and country is unprecedented and this is one of the factors that have contributed to his outstanding success. The diminutive Argentine star did not only win laurels for Barcelona, he also earned himself thrice the prize of World Footballer of the Year.
I watched the rise of Lionel Messi on a sports satellite TV channel last week and I was thrilled how this youngster with thin looks and a busy hair, defeated the monster of abject poverty and deprivation on the streets of Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital. I was amazed to see how he conquered all obstacles to become a symbol of success and accomplishment in football in a short period. As I watched the one hour documentary on this greatest footballer on the planet, I observed that Messi was determined to succeed and he never gave up on his intentions to realise his dream.
Ever since he arrived Barcelona, he gave in his all. And one of the propelling factors of his success at the Catalan clubside is his humble mien and desires to put in his best for the club at all times.
Thrice, the Assasain as fondly called by team mates led his colleagues to win the prestigious UEFA Champions League in 2006, 2009, 2011. This is in addition to several Spanish La Liga and Copa De Rey titles and two World Club Championships. Soccer pundits have attested to the fact that Messi‘s success is hinged on three factors- commitment, determination and desire to put in his best for his Club and country.
Unfortunately, we lack the likes Lionel Messi in our clime. We lack leaders who can exhibit the burning passion exemplified by Messi to turn around our fortunes for good. We are short of leaders who posses the fighting spirit like the one possessed by Lionel Messi. Rather what we have are busy body politicians who sweet tongue us with fake stories and introduce ideas that have nothing to do with governance.
They pretend to be a Messi, they dazzle us with scintillating tales of what they intend to achieve if elected into office, only to turn to- God knows what- when they anchor on the ship of governance. They look like saints and behave like angels, but beneath that deceptive look are crooked ideas that are bound to affect negatively the welfare of the people. They deceive us with the looks of a Messi as bait to earn our applause and sing their praises. With time, we discover later that what they profess is not what they are. Because they know we worship the authentic Messi and his style of football, they mimic his brand of soccer to attract our attention only for us to discover later they cannot kick a ball.
This has been the bane of Imo State. Public office seekers claim to be a Messi, the messiah that will take us to the zenith of economic prosperity. But because they are not the authentic Messi and can never be, they crumble midway. Their real identity unveils. We later on see what they are, their nakedness, what they stand for and what they intend to achieve. Unlike the authentic Messi who will put in his all in a football match to ensure victory for club and country, what we see here are fake Messi’s that will dribble us, that will hold us spell bound not with the display of soccer artistry, but promises upon promises that are never be close to reality.
The Argentine Messi will thrill us with his passion for soccer and success; the Nigerian Messi, sorry the Imo Messi, will not kick a ball but will rather use his mouth to do much of the action.
The above are illustrations of what is obtained in climes where commitment to governance comes secondary in the hearts of leaders who govern us. In Imo State for instance, I am one of those who hold on tenaciously to the fact that we have been very unfortunate in this regard. We have not seen leaders with the burning passion to serve the people. What we have seen in last 13 years are half baked leaders who razzmatazz their way to governance. What we have seen after the late Dee Sam Mbakwe are fake Lionel Messi’s who hide under this identity to deceive the people. After Mbakwe’s demise, what we see are Lilliputians who masquerade as a Messi with skills, to win our conscience and when they do, bingo!, they engage us in the more you look, the less you see.
Let me start with the Udenwa Administration. Admittedly, it was an all inclusive government, but it was spineless. The Messi zeal was not there. The man- Achike Udenwa- was simple and down to earth- but his style of governance was nothing to write home about. His Government lacked direction and most of the policies he conceptualized ended up on paper that never saw the light of the day. Aside the State Secretariat, along Owerri- Port Harcourt road, which he completed its construction, many Imolites believed that Government was clueless and lacked political will. This was why he was unable to groom a successor after eight years in office. The attendant result of his action was the political furnace Imo State was put into when he was about to leave office.
Enter Ikedi Ohakim. He had the zeal of a lionel Messi, but was said to lack the technique to convert his dreams to reality. He believed in dribbling all his political opponents at the same time. This singular act only swelled his enemy camp. And he paid the price at the 2011 elections which he lost when he ought not to. He forgot that the Argentine Messi was tactful and had foresight and this is why he can take on four or five defenders with ease and score a goal. But Ohakim choose to be a different Messi who believed that Pele and Diego Maradona who thrilled the world with their brand of football offered nothing to the round leather game. He was a lone ranger who fired shots from any position he was. He did not bother to dribble and pass the ball like Messi, rather he choose to implement policies that were too utopian for the layman in the State. He forgot that a leader sometimes dance to the rhythm of the drumbeats of his people to achieve his aims and objectives. He forgot that Messi smiles to the crowd to earn their support and encouragement in the field of play, but Ohakim did otherwise.
This reflected in his administrative style. While Ohakim had big dreams and dreamt of taking Imo State to the moon, he forgot that the State required industries and factories that will absorb the large number of unemployed youths. While he believed in a Clean and Green environment as a basis to boost the economy of the State, he lost sight of unscrupulous elements that were undermining his government. He had big dreams for Imo, but he did not learn how Messi translated his dreams to be a reality.
Then comes Rochas Okorocha. He looked like a Messi because he created the impression he is one. He made us believe that he possesses the dribbling skills and the power of a gifted player with the passion to use his mercurial skills to take Imo State to where it should be. He has big dreams like the original Messi, who believed in the dint of hard work to ensure that his artistry on the field of play guarantees victory for FC Barcelona. Rochas came with the passion to serve the people of Imo State, but because he is so much in a hurry, he has stumbled severally on the path to achieve his intentions. He appears to be averse to respect the Rule of Law. Because he lacks the stamina of a Lionel Messi and seems to shoot his shots without precision and accuracy, he has made more mistakes in the process of achieving his goal.
The Argentine Messi shoots and dribbles with precision, our own Messi dribbles without looking upfront to pass the ball. He toys with his policies and sometimes makes costly mistakes that earn him uncomplimentary remarks and comments from the opposition. The Argentine Messi has the desire to score goals, he dribbles perfectly and passes the ball to his colleagues- all aimed at achieving the aim of scoring a goal. This is sadly the case here. What our Messi does is to embark on solo runs that lead to frequent interceptions by his opponents and aimless shots that are easily captured by goalkeepers and shot over the goalpost.
The Argentine Messi studies the strength of his opponents. This enables him to be in proper shape for a match. He only smile and wave to the crowd when he scores a goal. Our own Messi has a different style and approach. He smiles when there is nothing to cheer about or wave to the crowd when he misfires a shot that does not even get close to the goal post. He takes delight not to communicate with his team mates on the field of play and most times ignores the instructions of the referee on the rules of the game.
He frequently bags yellow cards and will never play cautiously to avoid a red. Because he does not like the face of the laws that guide a football match, he randomly flouts the rules of the game by engaging in rough tackles that may cost his team a lot. He knows it all and most times does not listen to the advice of his coaches and fans.
This has been the ordeal of the people of Imo State who are so unlucky to have those who claim to be Lionel Messi on the driver’s seat. We crave and pray for the arrival of an authentic Messi in 2015. May God be with us.
