All thanks to Mr. President

However, I wish to totally dedicate the victory in Addis Ababa to no other person than our football-loving, very passionate and fatherly President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR who made it an important point to see the team at the training session on the eve of the game, despite […]

However, I wish to totally dedicate the victory in Addis Ababa to no other person than our football-loving, very passionate and fatherly President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR who made it an important point to see the team at the training session on the eve of the game, despite his very, very heavy schedule.
I had been informed about the intention of Mr. President to see the boys, as he knew that the delegation had come into Addis Ababa in the early hours of Saturday, 12th October, and Mr. President was also in the Ethiopian capital for the African Union summit.
We had quickly made it a point to ensure that the team got to the Stadium in good time to await Mr. President. The meeting of African leaders had apparently dragged on longer than expected, and there was very little time between the end of the meeting and the President’s scheduled departure from Addis Ababa.
The evening traffic in Addis Ababa was somewhat crazy, and it was a race to get to the Stadium. We were there in time to see Mr. President arriving and the boys were so pleasantly surprised.
It appeared that someone had told the players that Mr. President would no longer be able to make it because of tight schedule. When they saw Mr. President, it was like “oh, President made it here despite all odds.” You could see the excitement in them.
The Head Coach, other coaches and backroom staff were all delighted. Trust Mr. President: He put everyone at ease with his simple approach to issues and he spoke to the team like the father that he is.
“Ah, Chairman, how are you? I believe all is well,” President addressed my humble self as he stepped onto the field to speak with the boys.
In his speech, Mr. President told the players that he had faith in them, that all Nigerians, at home and in diaspora had faith in them to deliver the 2014 FIFA World Cup ticket, and that Nigeria’s flag must fly in Brazil.
He told the team that he wished he had the time, that he would have stayed back in Addis Ababa to watch the big match the following day.
Of course, this is one man who has always shown tremendous love for the team, and indeed all National Teams. He is about the first President of the nation to attend two training sessions of the National Team. He was at a training session of the Super Eagles in Abuja before the team’s departure to Liberia for a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
He has also amply rewarded all categories of National Teams that have done the nation proud every now and then. The U-20 Women National Team, U-17 Women National Team, U-20 Men National Team and U-17 Boys National Team have benefitted, as the Super Eagles and their officials who were amply rewarded for winning the Africa Cup of Nations title in South Africa in February 2013.
The players took the message of Mr. President to heart and you could see their faces as Mr. President addressed them. As Mr. President left the Stadium, to return to Abuja for a very important National Programme the following day, the players pledged there and then to win the match.
You could see the spirit in them and in their play, and you must credit the young defender Godfrey Oboabona for clearing the ball off the line midway into the first half. That is the never say die spirit of the Nigerian which Mr. President emphasised the previous day.
And that spirit came all to the fore after the referee awarded the Ethiopians a goal 12 minutes into the second half. There was a lot of argument over that goal but the referee’s decision is final, and we accepted it so. But the boys knew that they could not afford to lose. They had promised Mr. President so the previous day.
Emmanuel Emenike did a great job with that individual goal, and for winning and converting a penalty kick that gave Nigeria the winner just at the dot of time. It was just the thing that we needed for the celebrations to start and to stay that way for the rest of the journey, all the way back to Abuja.
Mr. President had worked the magic through his pleasant surprise of appearance at the Stadium and we simply could not hide our delight. Eagles have a leg in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, no doubt.
There is still the job to complete in Calabar on 16th November but the major part had been done and we would not be approaching that match with too much anxiety and tension. I am not saying we would be complacent; we will prepare hard and work hard during the 90 minutes, but there is no doubt that we would not suffer palpitations in the build-up.
Golden Eaglets of Hope
The Golden Eaglets start their campaign in the 15th FIFA U-17 World Cup today with a match against world champions Mexico in Al Ain City. What a way to start a championship!
I have immense confidence in the team, like most Nigerians do, and I will be writing more about the team next weekend because I believe the squad would not only go past the group phase, but would go all the way to make our country proud.
Next Week: Golden Eaglets’ Legitimate Ambition