By
Omosebi Deborah
One of the greatest mistakes people make when dealing with prophecy is attempting to measure it with instant results. Prophecy, by its very nature, is not a live score update;
it is a spiritual insight that often unfolds across time, processes, and conditions. Unfortunately, in today’s social media era, many people judge spiritual matters with the impatience of football commentary.
This was exactly what played out following Primate Ayodele’s prophetic remarks concerning the Super Eagles AFCON campaign, particularly his comments about Ademola Lookman.
Before the tournament began, Primate Ayodele issued warnings and instructions concerning the team. Among other things, he stated that some players should not be overly relied upon, mentioned the need for alternatives in certain positions, and stressed that Nigeria’s success depended on proper alignment and decision making.
Ademola Lookman was one of the names mentioned, not as an insult, not as a curse, but as part of a broader prophetic outlook on the tournament.
However, after Nigeria’s 2–1 victory over Tanzania, where Lookman scored, many rushed online to declare the prophecy “failed.” This reaction exposes a deeper problem: many people do not understand how prophecy works, nor do they understand football tournaments.
AFCON is not a one match competition. It is a long, grueling process involving multiple group games, knockout rounds, tactical shifts, pressure moments, injuries, and psychological tests. Judging a prophetic warning about a tournament based on one game is not only spiritually ignorant; it is logically flawed.
A player can score today and struggle tomorrow. A team can win early and collapse later. History, both football and life, has shown this repeatedly. So how does a single goal suddenly invalidate a prophetic statement that was clearly framed within the context of the entire competition?
It is also important to note what Primate Ayodele did not say.
He did not say Ademola Lookman would be useless. He did not say Nigeria would lose their first match. He did not say the team would be eliminated immediately.
Instead, he spoke about reliance, structure, and outcomes over time. Reducing such statements to a single moment is a deliberate misrepresentation.
Ironically, the same people mocking the prophecy today would be the first to drag the player tomorrow if he underperforms in a decisive match. Football fans are quick to shift narratives, yet they want prophecy to be frozen into one moment that suits their argument.
Prophecy is not validated or invalidated by public opinion.
It is not a popularity contest, nor is it subject to Twitter trends. Many prophecies in scripture, history, and contemporary times only made sense after events fully unfolded. The problem has never been prophecy; the problem has always been human impatience.
If the tournament ends and events align differently, narratives will change again. They always do.
But wisdom demands restraint, waiting to see the full picture before drawing conclusions.
Until AFCON is over, declaring anyone right or wrong is premature.
And until people learn patience, they will continue to misunderstand prophecy, misjudge processes, and embarrass themselves with rushed conclusions.
Time, as always, will speak.
