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Ekpe is Coming!” The Propaganda Masquerade My People Have Awaited Since The Beginning of Time

Published

4 years ago

September 21, 2020

By Wordshot Amaechi Ugwele

In my town Ohodo there are many myths. One of such is about the masquerade, “Ekpe d’Obleg,” (Ekpe from Obleg’). The masquerade was taunted by its promoters then as not just a beautiful masterpiece, they told our people it was the most beautiful thing anyone would ever behold in life when it eventually came out to perform.

When pressed further to describe it, they simply told people they could not since there was nothing yet in existence to be compared with the masquerade.

All my people could do was wait for Ekpe d’Obleg’. And to make matters worse, the people of Obleg’ went into an apparent frenzy, raising a lot of din and dust, in their hype preparatory for the day this unique masquerade would make it’s much-awaited grand public showing.

And the most curious thing about it all was that before then, Obleg’ people never had any masquerade worth a second look. Although they were good in having musical and dance groups for casual merrymaking, all their attempts at having any grand masquerade of note always ended in awful failures.

Whenever Ohodo celebrated Iri Ji, Onwa Asaa or any of such, Obleg’ came with the most miserably costumed and poorly crafted masks that neither looked arresting nor danced artfully. People taunted them to know the end, which they tried to mitigate with their noisy and chaotic processions. They were naturally witty and wisecracking tricksters that had a reposte for any taunt or fun poked at them on account of the notorious shabbiness of their masquerades that could not stand anywhere near the majesty of Agalaba (Ijele) others parts of the town had and proudly displayed. The Otielechi, that is, Otimkpu of these masquerades dusted the best of anything Obleg’ had in every occasion.

Then, Obleg’ suddenly announced they were bringing out Ekpe. The name was foreign and full of mystique. And so, the noise they made about it was unprecedented. They promoted and marketed it in campaigns that would shame modern propagandists.

The other parts of Ohodo didn’t know when they began to cower in fear, that Ekpe was coming to dethrone their own masquerades, even when they never saw any evidence of preparations, as they neither retreated to any forest nor fenced off any compound in Obleg’, for secret rehearsals.

However, whenever anyone asked Obleg’ people when their masquerade was coming out, they would launch into distracting and evasive diatribes, saying people should just wait for them, that Ekpe was coming. When people’s interest began to wane, Obleg’ would just raise a sudden loud uproar in a remote outpost of their part of town. When people asked, the would say “Ekpe was coming!”.

As people raced towards that particular direction, the noise would erupt from another part altogether! And “Ekpe was coming!” rented the air everywhere.

You know as every trick would always expire one day, the people got wary of these duplicity and thereafter dubbed Ekpe the phantom masquerade of Obleg’ that got further away as the noise of its presence got closer! “Ekpe d’Obleg’. A s,’ ‘naa ha!’ ‘Naa ha!’ Ó kpùz gde!”, meaning, “Ekpe d’Obleg’. If they say ‘here it comes!’ ‘Here it comes!’ It gets further away!” People also came to use it to mock narcissists’ who had a high opinion of their appearance, hence such were often told they sure looked better than Ekpe d’Obleg’, the phantom beauty of a masquerade no one ever saw.

Till this day, no one, in living memory, either from Obleg’ or the rest of Ohodo, ever saw the masquerade. In fact, it eventually came to be that people were surer of its non-existence than otherwise, and have come to therefore associate the whole venture as the very height of the well-known Obleg’s duplicitous trickery.

In projecting and mongering the presence of a masquerade they knew they neither had the capacity to bring out to face the rest of Ohodo in a showdown, nor actually had, Ekpe came to become the first known case of, and indeed the birth of propaganda in Ohodo. Our people were so taken in by the hoopla that it worked for a while in compelling the whole town to go into a prolonged expectation for its appearance. However, time finally demystified and rendered it a sham it was. So, Ndi Enugu should not allow themselves to be distracted from this Ekpe they are now telling us “is coming” from somewhere in Enugu. They are usually what they are, trickery of some desperate people.

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Featured

Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

7 days ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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