In what can only be termed selective struggle, many in our activist community go loud against government officials in Abuja, putting all expectations on them, as if anything that goes wrong in Nigeria must be fixed only from Aso Rock. Yet, we remain silent about other matters that drag down our country’s image and dignity before the world.
The World Cup qualifier between South Africa and the Super Eagles in Bloemfontein was nothing short of a daylight robbery. At this age, one would expect the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to uphold standards, yet a crucial international match was allowed to proceed on a rough, bumpy, substandard pitch.
In Nigeria today, if anything fails, different groups debate endlessly across social media, shouting down leadership and issuing blame. After the Super Eagles’ 1–1 draw with South Africa, voices were quick to call for the coach’s sack simply because the team could not edge past their hosts. But where are those same loud voices when CAF’s negligence directly sabotages our national pride?
The very activists who shout when a president goes on vacation could not muster the courage to petition CAF. Everything that makes Nigeria breathe, from football to diplomacy to security, should be the responsibility of the so-called freedom fighters, not just another excuse to direct anger solely toward Aso Rock.
To South Africans, let it be clear: we are not your enemies. But as a publisher, I owe you no apology for stating the obvious. With all your history and the lessons of Nelson Mandela, building mutual respect with your neighbors should not be too Herculean. The Bloemfontein pitch was a disgrace, one that echoes the shadows of past xenophobic attacks and leaves Nigerians questioning whether fair play exists.
Without Nigeria, the story of Mandela is incomplete. His portraits hang in our schools, his name taught with reverence to our sons and daughters. If we must continue to honor Mandela as a symbol of justice, then South Africa too must honor us with fairness, clean hands, and respect in the little things that connect us, even football.
Perhaps it is time for Nigeria’s activist community to broaden its scope, to channel energy not only at Aso Villa but also toward institutions like CAF that fail Africans collectively. Selective struggle weakens us; true activism defends dignity wherever it is threatened.
© Abioye Tosin Lawrence is the Publisher of Oriontimes Online Newspaper and a frontier voice in the Hate-Against-Nigeria Campaign, a civic advocacy for dignity, fairness, and respect for the Nigerian nation at home and abroad.