Gburu gburu restores mission of Rangers Football Club

 

Gburu gburu restores mission of Rangers Football Club

— 6th October 2016

“Only very rarely in football does a player, a club come along, belonging not to a city, or a country or a continent, but to the world. A player so talented, a club so worshiped by millions; such a joy to watch, inspiring so much admiration universally, irrespective of chauvinistic allegiance. The crowds turn up to see the player perform, and watch the club play; and any partisan feeling are forgotten. Pele of course was such a star and so was Stanley Mathews and in his brief career Duncan Edwards. Included in this immaculate lists of the games’ immortals is Maradona the gift of the gods.”
See Rangers International FC…. A History of a People, Enugu 2016.
History as we noted can be described as a record of exceptional contributions by extraordinary Actors who in their chosen options on the world stage, defined their mission and impacted exponentially their generation, their community, their nation and their world. Following the resurgence of the Rangers Football Club, we have been strident, beckoning on the Rangers new generation to go to the field, hold onto the temple of the Cathedral. Defend the Philosophies and the Mission of the greatest African Clubside of all times “You must Win it or Die!” Last Sunday in the last five minutes of ‘Operation Onwu na Ndu’, Rangers man Egwuatu Ifeanyi Egwim after a scintillating dash from the left flank, outpacing the artillery and defense headquarters of the El Kanemi Warrior Brigade, was face to face with the entrenched machine gun pit of the last guard keeper of the Warriors. For a moment, the Rangerman considered his options: ASWIRE? RETREAT or DEPLOY FOR RAPID FIRE! Indeed the Rangers FC’s character is built from the Spartan, stoic experience of the Biafran war. Atuegwu Ifeanyi Egwim who was the man of the match decided not to cease fire.
Few seconds to go, in the last five minutes of the Onwu na Ndu, Obi’s blazing rapid fire attacking legs, violently collided with the iron wrapped boots of the Kassim goalkeeper inside the machinegun pit of the Warrior Brigade. The last man guard whose pride was extinguished by the earlier three pound of earth shaking Ogbunigwe tremor bombs was not going to allow the Rangerman to capture his defense headquarters. An ear splitting bone to iron collision brought the Cathedral to silence!
Lance Corporal Ifeanyi Atuegwu of the Rangers attack platoon like his forefather Corporal Nwafor of the Oguta campaign had his shin bones broken into two with the shattered bones piercing through the skin. That was the end of the game as the CAF referee could not stand the gory site. The Cathedral was still numb and the people did not react when the Warriors’ Goalkeeper was given a Red Card and I’m sure the people did not see the last penalty or record the last goal of the match.
The stadium was still silent and the great Iyi-agbaOku Akagbe Nkanu, Ogbumadu Ogbunike, Ogbamgbada Akokwa, Ajofia Nnewi, the king masquerade Obodoanwu from Okpanam Kaduna Nzeogwu’s village, who were all set to join the celebration outside the stadium, suddenly turned on their backs. In that instant Obodoanwu who was spitting thousands of bees into the air braced the walls of the stadium, and in a jiffy, all evaporated into the thin air. Lance Corporal Ifeanyi Atuegwu of the Ranger attack platoon like his forefather Corporal Nwafor of the Oguta campaign was ready to die for his people’s victory. That blood curdling sacrifice with few seconds to the end brought the stadium to sobering catharsis.
For the thousands who cried and were jolted by the last minute revolting incidence let them remember that Ifeanyi Egwim’s cross and sacrifice is rather in character with our history and a recurring decimal of our thorny journey. Like the Israelites, it is a remarkable civilization punctured by suffering and pains, leading to eventual resurgence, inheritance and hope. In the words of the Enugu State Governor who is the latest Actor leading our people’s latest resurgence…. “I shall make Enugu, which is my capital city, home to the Rangers FC and a real Cultural and Sports Institution for our people and for the country. As I promised before my election, I am in government to provide for the old, the young and more especially for the youths. There is no other sure way to meet this end, than to probe into the opportunities and invest totally in the new and profitable programs and enterprise of the Sports Industry. In Nigeria, soccer is the most paying Sports and Rangers by the time I’m finished would be revitalized to a worthwhile productive goal mine! Furthermore, the Governor defined the Rangers FC new mission. He offered the Rangers International FC to the people to buy into. His Government is investing in the club and he will be with the club from day one as they braze up, and having won the National League, he will be with them as they return to the continent.
Congratulations Gburu Gburu.