God’s Favour Is Undeniable – By Bayo Olanlege

I reminisce as I take a stroll on the dusty but solemn road that leads to my favorite local pub on Ajilosun street, Ado Ekiti, I thought “So, the year 2023 has ended?!.” Whaow! What a year it has been!!

I was determined to end my tenure as the Chairman of Ekiti State Football Association well and bow out in a blaze of glory. So, I had held a meeting with my team made up of great young men and women who kept wondering if I was mad. No State FA Chairman had ever left after a term and they, like I believe, was doing a great job. But I was determined, I have done my bit, I have fulfilled all that I had set out to do, it was high time I left.

With the ones who had encouraged me to contest for the position in the first place, led by the dynamic and no-nonsense COO of the NLO, Olusola Ogunnowo, to the Chairman of Ibadan Football League, Barr. Rotimi Alli other young friends like Dr. Tunde Akinbinu, Ayodeji Adegbenro of LaLiga Nigeria, Tunde Shamsudeen of the NLO, Tobi Adepoju of Oga Nla Media and my brothers, Owolabi Gani Mustapha, Motunrayo Popoola and Femi Fateru, I set out with my team for the final showdown, the finals of the State league, what a way to end well.

I would not lie, I was worried, what would I do, sports and most especially football had been everything I spent my time on the last two decades, can I survive without it? The planning, the execution and all excites me. I wasn’t too sure but I knew I would be fine; I was very sure that I was doing the right thing.

And on 27th May, 2023, I left the State FA with the good and the bad that it brought and I faced the life after.

Having been so used to being busy in the act of using football to develop youths in Nigeria, with special reference to Ekiti State youths, I often find myself with a lot of times on my hand. The worst of it was that, my personal finances was in shambles not to talk of my children and wife who were already used to me not being around much or having enough time for them (though I had thought I was managing it all very well at the time).

Segun Adenuga, Lekan Ogunbanjo, Kayode Abdullah, Deolu Oyebode and Tade Gboyega came through for me at this time in my life, something that always made me remember the Yoruba saying; ‘eeniyan laso mi’.

Since June, the opportunity to work with the youths has reduced, yet, I and the young team of mine, with faith pushed on. It has been easy, yet it has been rough but the joy of watching young proteges step up to the vacant positions of leadership excites me; Tope Olaifa, Femi Adewumi, Deji Aladesiun, Mayowa Afolabi, Deji Olowolafe, Wale Raji and a host of others have indeed made me know that what I learnt from my teachers and the time I have dedicated to youth development through sports was not a waste.

The Bayo Arabi Unity Cup, Olumide Adegboye Unity Cup, Otunba Funsho Ogunleye Unity Cup and a host of other football events around Ekiti State communities this yuletide is a sign that we did left something to be built on. It was not a waste of time after all.

Before I could say Jack, a call came, Bayo, come and practice what you preach! You said football must be a business, let’s see you walk your talk again. So, we entered Green Lock FC and that is a story for another day.

June to December, 2023 went by like it was a minute but funny enough, the street didn’t forget as I had thought they would.

To friends who remained after, thank you very much, indeed, we have reasons to be grateful for, which favor of our Lord do we deny?

None.