SATIRE: Defections: NPFL; A Cynical Transfer Season.

Oladeji Olaniyan


Although the Nigeria local football league is avowed with the acronym NPFL which means Nigeria professional football league. The level of professionalism accorded to the league is highly questionable and the manner at which it is been operated renders the professionalism attached to it to be unbefitting and incongruous.

Asides the Amaranthine brawl between Pinnick, the president of the football governing body and his esurient Giwa. The local league itself is a joker to me but from international perspective its an abject shamble. The activities in the league augur adversely to the mainstream football league in the world. The Nigeria professional football league is not the focal point here for this dissertation but its a mere victim of circumstances and my thoughts. All due apologies to the fanatics of our local football league, my thought is the Marshall here I only heed to his biddings.

Our local football league modus operandi is not unconnected from the manner in which our political landscape is being operated by the players And actors. For conceptual clarity, NPFL is term which connotes Nigerian Political Facade League.

 The political facade league is populated with numerous but two teams. These teams are the giants of the game, they wield and arrogate enormous powers to themselves with no one except them alone can beckon to question their arbitrariness and inordinate use of powers. Their financial capability, popularity and political clout is primus inter pares of other teams plying the xerox trade with them.

No team dare question their arbitrariness or abuse of power, they are like the strong man described in the Holy scripture, you must be well prepared to confront them. They dish out reprimands to one another when there is an exchange of baton at the helm of affairs and lack of compromise by other team players.

As a player in the political facade league, failure to transverse through one or both giants of the games spells doom for your footballing (political) career because they are possess the requisites mechanisms to discover and harness potential players for future avarice gains. They mastered the art of shunning out players training them from the cradle to the grave on how to indulge and perfect the art of being vicious and rapacious.

In the usual practice of mainstream football leagues in the world, our Nigeria political facade league also have their transfer season though a cynical transfer season, which is not regulated by any constituted but by constituted personal cynical motives and avarice gains. The cynical transfer season enables players whose greedy interest has not been matched to transfer (defect)  to another team so as to furnish  the unfurnished gluttonous interest without prior knowledge of the team management.

Although, our political facade league system makes it feasible for aggrieved players to establish an informal team within the main team which is not the practice of mainstream football leagues. The informal teams may eventually take an audacious decision to segregate from the team to join a rival in the league, though there is always room for the prodigal players. Surprisingly, they defile the two theories of personality; idiographic and nomothetic, the former suggest that we all possess Unique traits Whilst the latter suggests that we all have the same traits but it diverse in it manifestation but our players traits is not congruous with any of these theories, they are treading the fine line between the two theories.

One of the players in the facade league, made this corroborating statement when asked about his transfer(defection) to another team, he said " I'm still in the broomcity FC as a left winger and not a defender. The rumour that I've changed club to the white horse althletico and that they offered me the position of a striker is untrue. If there will be any club transfer before the end of the season, you will be openly notified. Thank you"

In another statement, when responding to the same question "clarification; I'm yet to leave the broomcity FC for the umbrella united or any club in the premier league. Discussion and consultations are ongoing, if such will happen, it will be backed by a signed formal letter to the club management and; and a formal announcement on the side of the pitch by myself. Thank you " he affirmed. Those afore stated statement by one of the players corroborate my assertion that these politicians are actually players in reality.

An ardent follower of the mainstream football players would have a full grasp of the itinerary of players one club to another is not due national interest but for their personal gains and development. Unfortunately, our players in the facade league indulge in this kind of itinerary in a more perfect fashion but they frequently make a brazen allusion to the rhetoric phrase that "it is in the interest of our people "; it is a blatant lie and incongruous with their selfish motives.

Recent massive transfer (defection) of some players in the National Assembly and a Governor and imminent transfers is a testament to the fact that these politicians are players and all they are doing is for their personal enrichment. Our players in the facade league are bevy of charlatans, therefore don't be hoodwinked by this popular phrase that "there is no permanent enemies but permanent interest in politics " these days our players  interests metamorphosis, in fact its in a competition of it own, no chameleon dare contest against them. Their avaricious interest swings to the club who could savour their present greedy need and not for the present or future benefits of their representatives.

The cynical transfer season is here again which is the election period; prodigal players are realigning with their former Team, old powerless teams are recruiting, some are forming alliances , the four times champion of the facade league is massively reinforcing so as to ransom power from the failed defending champion in the imminent Final.

Let's seat and relish the cynical transfer season, the best team who procures  well may eventually stroll home with the trophy. 2019 grand finale promises to be intriguing with the current events ongoing.

Oladeji Olaniyan a student of Obafemi Awolowo University and a student journalist with OAU KILONSHELE.