Paradox of the Overaged Underage

I wrote this piece while watching the Falconets of Nigeria play against the USA team.

In spite of how interesting the match was, my mind kept wandering back to the last world cup and the dismal performance of the Green Eagles (super????).

At the senior world cup where there are no age restrictions; teams like Germany, Ghana etc came with teams with an average age ranging between 22-24. Nigeria came with a team with an average age of 27-29 years. Recent developments tend to show that it takes more than old age / experience to win or perform well in international tournaments. It also requires youthfulness and strength

At age-grade competitions, some countries are world famous for using “overage” players. These countries usually perform excellently at such competitions using “experienced players”. The irony of it is that when these players are supposed to blossom and mature with time in subsequent senior tournaments, the players become tired-legs, “expired” and no longer effective.

The irony is that these same countries bring tired-legs to tournaments with no age restrictions and perform woefully. Perhaps the football leadership of these countries have forgotten that the purpose the age group competition is to identify talents early and encourage football development. The objective of the tournament to member countries should not be primarily to win but ensure that talents are discovered and nurtured to maturity over some periods of time. While it is desirable to win under 17 and under 21 competitions, the method should not be through the use of overage players but through proper preparation and having under 13, 15 clinics and competitions to discover talents which abound in the Nation.

In 1989, the great Pele predicted that “Uncle Godwin Okpara” would become one of the best players in the world by virtue of what he displayed on the pitch. Luis Figo played in that same competition but nothing was said of him, but you and I know Figo became a shining star before he retired from active football. One commentator said regarding Mikel Obi in 2005, “this ‘boy’ plays with a charisma of an experienced and exposed player. He holds the ball and makes excellent passes”. Mikel and Taiwo eventually became 2nd and 3rd best players of the tournament behind Lionel Merci. Today, five (5) years after, Merci is world best. Our dear brothers are probably African or Nigerian best (sorry if I hurt you).

All major towns and cities should by now have a secondary school that focuses on football and athletics generally. Regular competitions should be organized between them at State and National levels under the watchful eyes of the national team coaches. I sincerely hope that a “good” coach will be hired for the national team with a 4-year term contract. Quality friendly matches should also be organized for eagles i.e. against Germany, Holland, Argentina, Spain etc as against poorly rated teams to expose the real weakness and strength of our teams.

I look forward to seeing the green eagles “super” again.

Written by Oluyemi Adeosun

Economics on the Street

I was reading an economic text and I came across what the author termed as the first law of development ‘for with everyone that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance, but from every one that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath’ Mathew 25:29. It is important that you know and identify that you are endowed and blessed. If you do not appreciate what you have, the honest and bitter truth is that you will lose it. Consider that scripture again ‘from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he has’. How can something be taken away from someone who has nothing!

This is an indication that we all have endowments and capacity to develop and add value. God did not make a nobody. In my interactions with a cross section of adults, they all confirmed that they all have had great opportunities at one point or the other to forge ahead in life. It is their ability to recognize and capitalize on these opportunities of the past that has brought them this far in life. Some of them however did not recognize those situations and circumstances at that time as opportunities.

Life will not give you what you deserve but what you demand. Don’t take a beggarly attitude to the market place. Take a value mindset. What do you have to offer? How can you solve problems for others? How can you resolve their issues? What ever you are going through right now is preparing you to be able to proffer solutions to the need of others. What is the size of problems you can solve? The needs may be so mundane and appear to damage your image in the short run but it is good for your growth and development. The needs you meet determine your reward. The people you solve their problems will remunerate you. It does not matter if is for individuals, organizations or societies. How can you harness other people’s energies and effort to solve problems? Owners of businesses and companies actually do this.

You too can be wealthy. You can help reduce the unemployment situation in the country, all you need to do is to increase or build capacity. Be effective and efficient at your present undertaken. Manage your present assignments well. If you can manage a shop well over time, the next thing to do is to open another shop in another location. You employ and train capable hands to oversee the shops and then you put up an effective monitoring system. You subsequently move ahead and open more shops till you have in all the towns in Osun state and state capitals all over the nation

You need to think big. Look at Mobil petrol station. You find it at almost every major town. You should know that the owners of such an organization will be wealthy. It is only natural that if you meet needs everywhere you will make money everywhere. You have to expand your business horizon. Even religious organizations are opening more branches every day. You need to desire and work hard to take your business to such a level.

How do you develop capacity?
1 Desire increase
2 Study and read books on successful organizations
3 Interact with people who have chain of businesses
4 Develop a healthy relationship with your bankers. You may need them for financial advice and loans.
5 Belong to relevant professional bodies or chamber of commerce
6 Keep an open mind
7 Look out for opportunities and seize it
8 Listen to customers complains and suggestions and act on them
9 Go to a business school

If Osun state and Nigeria must grow then your business must grow. If as a nation we are moving forward, then you must move forward. Identify what you have, and start working on it. Now that you are developing capacity, be assured that you cannot add value to other people’s life and not gain value yourself.
‘A business not expanding will soon fold up or at best be acquired’ Oluyemi Adeosun