Johnson Adewale’s celebrity status made him organize a fiercely contested annual local government football competition for U-19s. The competition, called ‘JFK Cup’, had the blessings of the landlord association because of the extra pecuniary benefits that get to the coffers of the association’s internally generated revenue. This competition is hosted on the playground with over more than thirty neighbouring participating streets that pay an entry fee of two thousand naira for the one hundred thousand naira grand prize. It is through this competition that the Silencers and Noisemakers developed enmity for each other; the most fascinating of their history is that none of the two groups have ever gone past the quarter-final stage, despite the fact that they both present themselves as representatives of Owonikoko during the competition. One group believes it is better than the other. The Silencers gather their own set of boys and Noisemakers also create a team within their own jurisdiction for the competition, yet somehow none of the teams have had anything tangible to remember in the competition.
“Up Nepa” by Oyedeji Emmanuel Toluwani is on the shortlist of 15 for this year’s #QuramoWritersPrize (QWP050)
