I AM IN LOVE WITH A 15 YEAR OLD BOY FROM THE NORTH. DOES THAT MAKE ME GAY? Yahaya-Iniestas story: the little known story of a new Nigerian talent that moved me to tears and made me fall in love. I was up all night till the early hours of Friday morning - 5:03am to be precise. And what was I up doing? I was counselling a young Nigerian in Greece whose dreams of survival had nearly been shattered by the unpatriotic actions of some Nigerian blemish lambs in lions clothing (or should I say, rouges masquerading as role models?). I had a short sleep afterwards and was up again at exactly 8:38am. After a short prayer, I proceeded to the internet to read the online version of the dailies as usual. After reading through the online version of most of the major national papers, I decided to visit Naij. Once on the first page of Naij, one particular caption caught my attention. It read: Yahaya, Nigerias young Iniesta. I must confess that, unlike most other young men of this century, I am anything but a football enthusiast. And to make assurance double sure, I am not a fan of any footballer or football team. And while I am a lover of inspirational/motivational reggae music, I am not a devoted fan of any musician. I am equally not a fan of any movie actor and what have you. I suspect this makes me come across as an old school country boy! But the inspiring story of one patriotic spirit changed my no bodys fan status on Friday morning. Nigerias young Iniesta whom I now consider a good role model for aspiring young leaders won my special admiration not because of his football skills but because of his outstanding leadership and patriotic mindset. To save you the trauma of branding me a sentimentalist, I would like to state that, although I know a little bit of Spains Andres Iniesta, I knew nothing of Nigerias young Iniesta, and only a fraction of his football skill was known to me before I read his interview. I will state in clear terms the very points of my attraction to this young patriotic Nigerian of Northern extraction named Musa Yahaya and nicknamed Nigerias young Iniasta. Please take the pain to read this long love letter of mine to the end. The article I read on Naij has this to say about my 15-year old new lover: Yahaya is quiet and introverted. He needs to be coaxed into an interview. Hes shy, like a lot of 15 year olds, and he wraps a wide, bashful smile around himself like a blanket when talking about football. This taciturn nature, a profound modesty and humility, are qualities often associated with Spains Andres Iniesta, the man Yahayas mates cant help but compare him to. Is the description above exaggerated? Not in my opinion! Listen to the lad a bit: The guys started calling me Iniesta a few years back, said Yahaya, who grew up hard in the industrial northern city of Kaduna, following up on a face-to-face interview via email, a more comfortable platform for the No11. Now if you think that what got me fascinated and drawn to young Yahaya is his nickname or his reported football skill, you are greatly mistaken. I fell in love on account of something deeper and more profound than Yahayas reported incredible football skills. Here is the quality that won me over and got me falling head over heals for this young patriotic and yet unknown leader: His assists have been crucial to Nigerias success in reaching the quarter-finals, but so have his goals. I like to score, he said, a predictable sentiment for a player with such a wide array of attacking options playing in such a forward-thinking side. But the role of playmaker, just behind the strikers, is something I love. I love to have the ball at my feet and to look up and play my mates in with a pass. His is a hybrid role. Indeed my Yahaya is a good team-player who is a good leader. Its common knowledge that good leaders have a we mentality, and they know how to build others up to super performance by urging them on from behind and encouraging them with good words or good deeds. They are quick to help others do better and achieve their goals. And to give you a little more insight into Yahayas selfless heart, here is another clincher: I want to be famous for playing football, said the ready-smiling attacker, whose ambitions are fuelled by neither selfishness nor vanity. I grew up a certain way, in a certain background, he concluded, carefully avoiding words like poverty and hardship. I want to use football to help my family better . In the last line quoted above lies the greatest lesson for Nigerians: While we should not be ignorant of the challenges we face - bad leadership, infrastructural deficit, insecurity fuelled by corruption and tribalism, etc., we should never accept poverty in our hearts or think divisive thoughts. Yahaya didnt stop at loving his immediate family and his region, he loves Nigeria also and is determined to help his country (his larger family) as much as he is to help his immediate family through his active role in football. One thing you should never forget to learn from Yehaya is that he is an upward looking man who looks up to find his team mates in order to help them with good passes with which they can score goals and shine, bringing the team and the country victory and glory. Good leaders are not selfish people who look down (or build german walls around themselves) in order to avoid contact with others whose needs they should help to meet. Good leaders are people who are willing to and will do anything within their powers to help others become better. And as Zig Ziglar would always say, “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” That is a lesson every aspiring leader in any field should learn - helping others to meet their needs. By so doing you help yourself. Musa Yahaya is not a Northerner but a very nice Nigerian of Northern extraction. The lesson here is: Not all the people from the North are Boko Haram members. There are probably more good hearted Northerners than there are selfish ones or Boko Haram terrorists. If the North is in crisis, Nigeria is in crises. If the South is in trouble, Nigeria is in trouble. A people cannot be bad, only individuals can. And whatever we do, we should remember that theres strength in diversity, and unity is power. While Yahayas shots have found the back of a few nets in the UAE in favour of Nigeria, his selfless sense has found the centre of my heart, and for that I am in love. Nigerias young Iniesta (a team-players) is taking positive action to prove his love for his family, his team mates, and his country. You should do the same. I want my Nigerian brother to succeed, and I want Nigeria to become better. I love Musa Yahaya and I love Nigeria. If you love Nigeria, please like/share this love letter and action your love by typing the words I LOVE MUSA YAHAYA, I LOVE NIGERIA! ~ IC Clinton
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 09:21:22 +0000
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