The story of the 10 Virgins is a parable told by Jesus in the Bible, according to Matthew 25:1–13. In the story, we are told 10 virgins were waiting for a bridegroom. While five had enough oil for their lamps, the other five hadn’t.

When the bridegroom eventually showed up, only five virgins who had oil in their lamps, in order words ready for the ceremony, went into the wedding hall.

This brings me to the motto of the Boys Scout movement, ‘Be Prepared’ all the time. I have gone into this story because of the failure of cities or countries to be prepared all the time by not only build- ing quality infrastructure for sports development, train- ings and competitions, but also keeping them in good condition all the time.

In 1995, Nigeria was supposed to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup then known as World Youth Championship. The hosting right was, however, revoked at the last minute because we were adjudged not ready.

FIFA was, however, magnanimous enough to say we should host the 1999 edition, giving us additional four years to get ready. Qatar which, like the Boys Scout was prepared, stepped in as replacement for Nigeria.

Our National Sports Festival competitions have suffered several postponements or shifts in date because host cit- ies are almost always not ready.

The 2024 edition of the festival has already suffered two postponements as Ogun State which is supposed to host it in Abeokuta seems ill prepared for it. The new date of May 2025 is not guaranteed either but Nigerians are keeping their fingers crossed, waiting to be proved wrong. At the continental level, the African Nations Cup, AFCON, African Women Nations Cup, AWCON and the African Nations Championship, CHAN have equally suffered one postponement or the other at a time.

Host countries find it difficult to meet deadlines for these competitions and sometimes CAF bends backward to give them time to complete their facilities by shifting the date of the competitions.

The latest is the 2024 CHAN. It was earlier scheduled to hold in December but was moved by two months to February 2025. And now it has been moved again to August this year.

The draws for the competition were, however, held last Tuesday in Kenya, one of the three hosts of the event. The other two are Tanzania and Uganda. If peradventure, these East African Nations who are hosting a CAF event for the first time fail to meet the deadline, which maybe the last one for them, one country that CAF may likely fall back on again is Morocco.

Like one popular battery brand back in the day, Eveready, Morocco is ever ready and has made herself the beautiful bride of CAF. They always have oil in their lamps ready for the bridegroom, CAF, which is pleased with them and ready to go there.

In the history of the AFCON, Morocco has hosted it only once, in 1988, where Nigeria’s Super Eagles lost her second final match to Cameroon after it did in1984 in Cote d’Ivoire.

Since they rejoined the African political family which changed name from OAU to African Union, AU, 33 years after her absence, Morocco has used sports as a strong point to make a statement in the continent.

They have hosted one event after another, African Games, CAF African Footballer of the Year, AWCON and the African Women’s Champions League. Later in the year, they will be hosting their second AFCON, 37 years after their first time.

It is not only CAF that now courts Morocco. FIFA too is happy with Morocco, why? Because they have been able to put in place world class infrastructure from stadium to hotel and good roads network, among oth- ers needed to host big sporting events.

In 2022 FIFA again hosted its Club World Cup in Morocco for the third time after it did in 2013 and 2014. And this year, FIFA has approved the country as one of the co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup (Portugal and Spain are the other two), the second time the event is coming to Africa after South Africa solely hosted it in 2010.

The only reason I think CAF is giving Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda an opportunity to fix their facilities for the CHAN after two failed deadlines is because they are the hosts of the AFCON in 2027 and are using the CHAN as a test run.

Otherwise, CAF now has an Eveready Battery that needs no recharging as it is always charged and ready to go. And that is Morocco.

Some people, especially my Nigerian brothers, are al- ready murmuring, saying why always Morocco. Rather than murmur and accuse CAF of tilting too much towards Morocco, other African countries should build standard facilities and also maintain them in readiness to host competitions.

Is it not a shame that Nigeria that prides itself as the giant of Africa has only one stadium approved by CAF/FIFA for football matches? And the stadium is the one built by a state government?

All the stadiums owned by the federal government, including the one it spent so much money to build for the 2003 African Games, the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, couldn’t pass CAF and FIFA tests.

This is not talking about the first National Stadium in Lagos which hosted the 2nd African Games in1973. It is now home for dangerous reptiles. And it tells a lot about us as a country with very poor management.