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ibnaija@yahoo.com Political Scientist USA

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OBAFEMI MARTINS

Obafemi Martins

he national team, the Super Eagles, the NFA, the Sports Ministry and the entire country are relishing in the fact that Inter Milan Ace and goal poacher, Obafemi Martins, has finally agreed to adorn the green and white for his country after much persuasion and trepidation on the part of the soccer star. His debut against the Irish national team in the recently concluded Unity Cup in London [Nigeria won the cup] which was broadcast live by AIT was by no means disappointing. It was as entertaining as it was an affirmation of the talent and skill level that is available to the handlers of our national team. The nineteen year old sensational informed Nigerians and all and sundry that he can compete for a permanent shirt in the senior team. The spectators at the stadium in London and the entire country watched as Martins, popularly call "Oba", took the Irish defense to the cleaners. He was very persistent in his ball handling skills and resourceful in his approach to the game. His tenacity was well on display and his hunger to assert himself on the international soccer scene couldn't be anymore evident.

A star has arrived.

But not without much trouble nor controversy. It wasn't long ago that Cameroonian coaches included him in their plans to prosecute their defense of the Olympic title which they won in Sydney. This move which was based on the premise that Oba hails from the disputed Bakassi Peninsula gave the Cameroonians the impetus to claim the youngster as one of their own even before the official handover of the disputed oil rich region. The Cameroonian coaches, it was said, approached him to play for them as he would have been a Cameroonian by April, 2004, which was the expected date of handover of the disputed area. However, in a recent interview granted by Oba, it was stated that he is a Lagosian, born and bred in Lagos and thus, the Cameroonians have no claims to him. But even if he was from the disputed area of Bakassi, it's unlikely that he would have played for Cameroon having sowed his seeds in Lagos. As the saying goes, once a Lagosian, always a Lagosian.

Martins in action

Similarly, it was also reported in credible media outlets that the Senegalese placed an incredible offer of $15 million on the table for the youngster if only he would abandon Nigeria and assume Senegalese citizenship and play for their national team. The Senegalese were very eager for the youngster to line up for the Teranga Lions as they try to assert themselves on the continent. They were already envisioning a line-up that would include Oba, Diouf, Fatiga, Diop and the like. They would have been the price winners as Oba hitherto had not played any matches for Nigeria and by FIFA rules was free to play for any country, but he stood his ground, holding firmly to his Nigerian heritage. This is good and very patriotic of the youngman to eschew self-aggrandizement in honor of his country.

It would be recalled that the Polish national team hitman and leading scorer, Nigeria's Emmanuel Olisadebe, was snatched from Nigeria in this very fashion. Plying his career in Poland, the Polish saw great potential in the Nigerian and immediately asked him to adorn Polish citizenship to play for them. Having played a single game for Nigeria, Olisadebe assumed Polish citizenship and obliged the Poles. The gamble paid off as the ex-Nigerian led them to the recent World Cup in Japan/Korea and gave a very good account of himself. Both Austin "JJ" Okocha and former captain, Uche Okechukwu would have gone the same way as Olisadebe had Nigeria not invited them earlier to play for their country before the Turks could get their hands on the pair. It should be stated that both Okocha and Okechukwu are Turkish citizenship, although they acquired that status to avoid the quota that was placed on Turkish club on the number of foreign players on their roster, it goes without saying that the Turks would have taken it a step further had NFA not done the right thing.

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Not to forget the subject of this offering, as Nigerian handlers tried to get Oba to commit to his country, little did anyone know that he was fighting his club, Inter Milan, which was against the idea of him playing for his country. They believed that his services were most needed in Inter Milan which butters his bread. For him, it was a tough decision of playing for a country that often abandons its stars and players when they are injured or stay committed to his club career where he earns millions of dollars. Oba opted to serve his country and his debut in London, ended all speculations as to his loyalty and dashed all hopes of other countries, including Italy, which had hoped to win the striker over to their national team.

Thus, with the inclusion of Oba on the Nigerian national team, Nigerians can hope again that their team would go places. They can hope again that we would have a striker in the form of "The Bull", Daniel Amokachie, who terrorized his opponents with his posture, skills and mastery of the round leather game. His World Cup debut and goal against the Bulgarians in USA '94 couldn't be forgotten so easily by soccer loving fans. Most of us could still remember how he dribbled passed a falling and hapless Bulgarian goalkeeper, fell and got up and was still able to use his left leg to net the ball for Nigeria's second goal. Nigeria won that match by a 3-0 margin.

Oba has such potential for Nigeria. He reminds me of another striker Nigerians cannot afford to forget, the lethal Rashidi Yekini who terrorized one too many defenses on the continent and beyond. We should remember well that it was Yekini who scored Nigeria's first ever World Cup goal against those same Bulgarians. The picture of the deeply religious player in the Bulgarian net thanks his God is forever burned into the memories of Nigerians. Yekini could easily be one of the greatest players to have ever worn the green and white along with the likes of Odegbemi, Muda Lawal (RIP), Adokiye Amesiameka, Felix Owolabi, Emmanuel Okala, Christian Chukwu, Henry Nwosu, Okocha and the like.

Martins on the move

He also reminds me of Roger Milla of Cameroon who made trickery an acceptable part of the game, so to speak. Amongst current active players, he could be likened to another number 9 shirt, the current African Footballer of the Year, Samuel E'to of Cameroon. E'to is a very versatile player and can penetrate any defense at any given time as Nigerians saw when he white-washed Isaac Okoronkwo to score Cameroon's only goal in the last Nation's Cup encounter with Nigeria.

In the World Cup/Nations Cup qualifier against the Rwandans in Abuja last Saturday which was also televised live on AIT in the US, Oba again affirmed that his performance against the well trained and coached Irish wasn't a fluke. He struck twice, in the 53rd and in the 88th minutes to set his country on its way to its fourth straight World Cup appearance. In just two games for Nigeria, he has scored three goals. By all accounts, this is very impressive. In the 2003/04 season in the Serie A, Oba scored a total of fourteen goals against highly potent defenses. He is just one of many youngsters who will make us proud in the World Cup in Germany in 2006. Granted that the likes of Okocha and Kanu are aging, Oba's arrival on the scene has done much to reassure Nigerians that we are blessed with an abundance of talent.

Coach Christian Chukwu is doing what most coaches dare not for fear of disrupting the flow and chemistry in their team, that is, infusing new and fresh talent into the national team. In the last several months, Nigerians have been introduced to the likes of Seyi Olofinjana, who plies his trade in Norway, John Utaka, Christian Obodo, who plies his trade for Perugia in Italy, Bartholomew Ogbeche, the former PSG [France] player who currently plies his trade for another team in France, George Abbey of the lower division in England, Osaze Odemwinge who scored twice against the hapless Bafana Bafana of South Africa and many more young talents like Vincent Enyeama of Enyimba, the current African club side champions who has given a good account of himself in goal. Oba brings fresh air into the national team, with the likes of Aghahowa, Okocha, Kanu, Agali, Aiyegbeni (if he can ever forgive Nigeria for expelling him from the '04 Nation's Cup in Tunisia) etc, in the front line, Nigeria may be very well set to reclaim its past soccer glory that once earned it the 4th spot in FIFA's ranking ten years ago.