11th February, 2013
Nigeria’s national soccer team, the Super Eagles put smiles on the faces of their compatriots when, last night, they defeated the Stallions of Burkina Faso 1-0 to win the African Cup of Nations. For a country whose citizens badly needed something to make them happy, the victory of the Super Eagles was very much welcome all over Nigeria.
Sports has always united Nigerians. For the three weeks that the competition lasted, Nigerians were united behind their team. In churches and mosques many Nigerians prayed for victory. We congratulate all Nigerians for this feat.
There is a need, however, to proceed from this success to design a comprehensive programme targeted at overhauling sports in Nigeria. For a country with a battered image abroad, success in sports has the potential to help redress this ugly state of affairs. That is why, in our view, no amount of money spent on sports development is badly spent. Government should spare no effort in this regard.
The victory of the Stephen Keshi-tutored Super Eagles reinforces our belief that all over the country there are potential world beaters in soccer and other sports who only need an enabling environment to flourish. Sports should be better funded, such that there will be enough competitions where scouts and sports technocrats can spot those numerous talents.
It is not enough to splash money on Nigerian teams that win competitions, as it is being done to the Super Eagles now. While it is not such a bad thing to reward success in that manner, we are convinced that better funding of the national teams and motivation of athletes will make them feel proud to put on the colours of their country.
There have been occasions when Nigerian teams were abandoned in camp and were generally treated badly, only for government to roll out the drums and splash money on the same set of sportsmen and women who defied such mistreatment to secure victory.
We congratulate the team and its handlers, led by Stephen Keshi, and urge them not to, in the euphoria of success, rest on their laurels. A lot of work still needs to be done. There are bigger challenges ahead. The team cannot afford to let Nigeria down. There is the Confederations Cup to be held in Brazil. There is also the World Cup qualifying campaign. Nigeria must not falter. The technical crew of the team must strengthen the team in areas where deficiencies are apparent, especially the team’s attack.
In 1994, Nigeria was rated 5th best in the world. We are convinced that with hardwork, dedication and discipline, this team too can reach such heights. Afterall, only few would have bet on them winning the African Nations Cup when it kicked off three weeks ago, or even bet on an unfancied home-based player scoring the winning goal for Nigeria in the final!
Having fought its way to the top of African football, after 19 years of waiting, Nigeria must continue to climb the world soccer ladder. That is the way to go.