Nigerian-born Togolese footballer, Emmanuel Adebayor, has brought the world together since Tuesday night and perhaps in a sympathetic mood. The soccer star had hit the Facebook with details of the abuses he had kept in his heart for over a decade.
He shared his experiences not to ridicule his family but so that “all families can learn from them.”
As of Wednesday morning, he was on top of Twitter trending in Nigeria, where his family left several years ago in search of fortune. In addition to the fortune his parents sought in Togo, Adebayor now has fame, for which he is paying a price.
But this story is much more about the social media implication than the content of the post, published in both English and French.
On Facebook and Twitter, Adebayor has taken the shine off other issues, showing how popular he is in Nigeria and, more importantly, the speed at which social media spread information. The interest is a sort of ‘home calling’ for Adebayor and his mother, but a bad one at that.
About 24 hours after the post, it had attracted 8,575 tweets either amplifying the story or sympathising with Adebayor. By late afternoon of Wednesday, the number had climbed to 10,000.
Interest in the footballer, which has dimmed over the years, became intense on Google Trends since the fresh post hit the cyberspace.
The most recent time Adebayor received a fair mention on the cyberspace was on April 15, 2015, when a fan tweeted about the footballer’s inability to justify his big pay cheque at Manchester City. The issue generated 1,514 tweets, compared to 10,000 plus comments the fresh post has attracted.
“At the age of 17, with my first wages as a footballer, I built a house for my family and made sure they were safe. As you all know, I received the trophy of African Player of the Year in 2008. I also brought my mother on stage with me to thank her for everything. In that same year, I brought her to London for various medical check-ups. When my daughter was born, we contacted my mum to inform her but she immediately hung up the phone and did not want to hear about it,” he narrated.
He also told the world about how he gave his mother money to travel to Nigeria to consult Pastor Temitope Joshua of the Synagogue Church of all Nations for a spiritual solution for her ailment. He lamented that his mother left Nigeria, her ancestral home, two days into the trip instead of staying for a week as arranged.
Adebayor also narrated how he had helped his siblings to find their feet, only to later receive insults from them. For instance, he noted that his family had shared his possessions even while he is still alive.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the western media had started feasting on the post, with The Guardian of the United Kingdom describing it as “astonishing attack.” Also, commentators from across the world have been reacting on social media, counselling him and sharing their thoughts on the issue.
One Nana Kwesi says, “Tears are falling. How many people on this planet can be as good as you are? You have done your best; your reward is in heaven.”
Saddick Adams, a sports journalist, who claims to have had an encounter with the Adebayors over some of the issues raised by the post, says Adebayor had kept quiet for too long.
“I wrote a story when your family invaded Peace FM last year. I also thought their story was sad. But upon reading all this from you and realising that this whole thing started long ago, I say sorry,” he posts on Facebook.
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