Victor Moses: When Patriotism Is Conquered Pain By Adekoya Boladale

Eleven years ago in the city of
Kaduna, Nigeria, a dreadful religious
violence engulfed the entire state.
Various religious bodies left the
town in search of safe heaven, even
Pastors and Imams flew when the
crisis grew beyond comprehension.
But there were two couples who
stayed behind, in spite of the fear,
agony and hatred that filled the air,
they were not moved. They stayed
back to help the injured, they stayed
back to preach peace, they stayed
back to guide the misguided youths.
Yes they were Christians, and truly
they had a church but they made
their home for all. Irrespective of the
religion dispute, they gave the last
moments of their lives to help when
it mattered most.
Painfully they couldn’t live for long;
death was coming so fast, yet still
they didn’t run. Their Church was
burnt, their property scattered and
finally they were burnt alive. These
couples were Mr Austine and Mrs
Josephine Moses.
The parents of the Nigerian Super
Eagle’s soccer guru, Victor Moses.
Young Moses narrowly escaped
death; he was out playing soccer,
when the cold hand of death took
his parents away. He was just
eleven years old and with so much
excitement from the football pitch he
came back home only to meet his
parents in ashes. He was taken to
London by his uncle the next week
after the incident to seek asylum.
Victor couldn’t even get time to take
the any pictures of his parents with
him, due to the violence. He found
himself in Croydon, England
knowing nobody and having been
taken in by a foster family.
He didn’t give up; he left the
memory of his past behind him at
such a tender age and started
playing football again. He was
spotted by Crystal Palace who got
him into a top local school. With his
excellent display of skills he made
the English under 16, 17, 19 and 21
teams scoring eleven goals for
England. From there he moved to
Wigan Athletics and now Chelsea.
On Sunday February 10th 2013,
Victor Moses will be standing up in
line singing the national anthem of
the country that failed him when it
mattered most, he would be putting
all his effort to bring smiles to the
faces of over 160 million Nigerians
who knew nothing about the pain he
went through to survive. He will do
his best to bring to a country that
couldn’t defend his parents, a
nations cup it last touched nineteen
years ago.
This is the story of a man who was
betrayed by his country but yet
couldn’t betray his country. This is
a story of man who lost all due to
the inability of some groups of
people to live together. This is the
story of a man who has tasted the
bitter pill left by our various
religious violence and inability to
tolerate one another.
Just like Victor, hundreds of
thousands of Nigerians have lost
their lives, future and hope just
because two groups couldn’t say, I
am sorry first. Hopes has been
shattered, dreams killed and futures
wasted due to our bizarre hunger for
each other’s blood.
Yes the government has failed, but
should we fail our country? The
government steals our funds and
still turns us against one another,
yet we can’t be reasonable and think
for once. Every part of our lives is
dominated by greed, hatred,
selfishness and nepotism. When we
all could join hands together to
make a better future.
Let’s take a clue from Moses,
although I am not sure if I could do
that. But it is a lesson, a very big
one from a man who is drunk with
patriotism, a man who sees himself
as the pillar of his country, a man
who above all things remembers
Nigeria and not the federal
government of Nigeria.
Yes he came back, in spite of all
this. He came back, not to contest
for political position or seek for
appointment. He came back, not for
revenge but for love. He doesn’t
need a national honour, he doesn’t
need to join the leagues of
unpatriotic thieves who have
dominated our national medallion. In
our hearts he is a hero, in our soul
he is hope. Let all Nigerians
remember him, for he took nothing
from us but this time he is given to
us all.

Adekoya Boladale is a political
scientist and wrote via
adekoyaboladale@gmail.com