This quote I heard for the first time in a serial
movie ‘LEGEND OF THE SEEKER’ where the major
character had some prophecies about some issues
that didn’t go down to well with him and this has
also spurn me to put my pen to paper and write.
As a Nigerian, with all our belief and religious
systems which leaves so many of our
responsibilities on the Creator ‘that Great Eternal
Being’ that makes us so lazy that we will decide to
use him as an excuse for our laziness when
hardwork can actually pay our dividends.
I am yet to see in any of the holy collections that
gives room for laziness or not being prepared
against any crises that comes with life.
I am yet to see where ‘GOD’ by-passes man to do
what he knows the man can do, I am yet to see
where heavenly beings constructed roads with
their caterpillars and constructing materials when
engineers can actually take the task up. Don’t get
me wrong, I believe in miracles which defy all
logical reasonings, calculations and integrations
but then the man must be helpless and the whole
situation is beyond him.
This has even extended to our recreational events
and sporting activities that even when our
national team is involved in competitions, we fail
to make adequate preparations and leave all the
work to God on the pitch of play. We pray to the
‘God of soccer’ to go against those who have
actually laboured and put in so much and actually
reward those who have not done so little, much
prior to the build up to the event.
A popular saying says ‘if you fail to prepare, you
have already prepared anyway, but to fail’. This
saying I believe strongly is also true for poor
preparation which always leads to poor
performance. We have been in this state for a long
time and little wonder why in the sporting world,
especially in soccer, our performance have been
so poor: little or no thanks to this general principle
but that is nature, garbage in, garbage out!
Recently we know prophets have been involved in
predicting the final outcome of results of football
matches and we tend to believe them either they
take ‘sane or insane’ positions since they are the
‘spokesmen of God’ and they have seen what will
happen in the nearest future and the AFCON 2013
is no different where predictions and prophecies
have been made also.
I heard through the grapevine that a certain
prophet predicted a Nigeria-Ghana final affair with
Nigeria losing out in the finals.
Another story: “ http://www.soccerstarng.mobi/
story_display_page.php?cover_story_id=470 ‘”
dated Dec 22 2012 also revealed another
prediction by an Argentine magician, Gaston
Quieto on Thursday at the Glo/CAF Awards who
predicted that the Super Eagles would battle their
eternal rivals, Ghana in the final of the South
African 2013 Cup of Nations with Nigeria beaten 3
goals to 1 and Asamoah Gyan being one of the
scorers…*smh*. As at now, we know the outcome
of this prophecy/prediction, another Prophet
Octopus, that it is invalid.
If there is anything I am sure of, preparation and
hardwork cannot be juxtaposed or replaced with
prophetic predictions. God will not take sides
during a football match because that will turn him
to a football fan of the side supported. Sure, there
might be elements of luck, ‘the GOD-factor’ which
is available to all sides during the match but most
often than not, the better side on the pitch of play
wins.
If prophetic predictions are so true, then why
should I subject my team to rigorous trainning
and preparations when I already know the final
outcome of the match, better still, the FA should
present the cup to the predicted winning team
even before the competition began, ‘on a lighter
mood’.
Whenever prophetical predictions come up again
before the match is being played, this time is a
time Nigerians, and maybe the Ghanians will not
quickly forget and will remind themselves quickly
that prophets and words don’t play the round
leather game, coaches and players do. It is a time
when the two sides ‘match’ themselves and the
better and/or the stronger side wins.

Check www.richardjinadu.