Nigeria is a funny country and things will continue to happen in a funny way. I doubt if anything in the nearest future will change it. Reason is because those at the helm of affairs are not ready to quit and are not ready to change.
The truth is that it is a country where when you see wrong, you keep your mouth closed. It is a country where you cannot ask for your right and when you do so, you are tagged an enemy.
Few days ago, like a bolt form the blue, the Super Eagles Captain with 2 weeks to the commencement of the African Cup of Nations not only resigned as Captain of the team, but quit international football.
He, however, gave reasons why he decided to call it quit which sounds funny to many Nigerians who saw it coming. Ekong would not be the first to resign this way as many who believes in their integrity have done so in the past.
Nigerians are all aware of what happened when the Super Eagles went for the play off in Morrocco where they lost to D.R.Congo in a penalty shootout with Calvin Bassey and Seyi Ajayi the worst culprit.
Since then, a source close to the Nigerian Football Federation revealed that there has been a silence war going on between Ekong and those responsible for the management of the national team.
The source said the NFF shifted the whole blame on the captain for allowing such an embarrassment at that critical time. Ekong was also accused of not having authority over his players and with the AFCON around the corner, the Akwa Ibom-born footballer who has put in over 10 years for the national team felt he might not be able to stand the heat.
The source said we all know that he grew up in a foreign land where they call a spade a spade and may not be interested in the politics of Nigerian football.
The source disclosed that the big wigs in Abuja may want to frustrate him and make things difficult for him and instead of waiting for that humiliation; the best thing is to call it quit.
Already, he has been reduced to a non-playing captain and this has been affecting him for months with the last straw being the shifting of the load on why Nigeria failed to make it to the World Cup on his head.
With the turn of events, the source said the last of such things have not been heard as many players are scared of playing for the country and his refusal to join the train to Morocco for the Nation’s cup may not augur well for the country.
And that reminds of the maiden edition of “Big Sports Dialogue”in November, the Chairman of the organising committee of the event, Osaze Ebueku explained that the time for stake holders to speak the truth to the power that be and unlearn what we have learnt.
Ekong seems to be the first victim of that message having spoken the truth and got consumed in the power play. No warriors will abandon his territory with 2 weeks to the battle like what Ekong has done.
The convener of the Big Sports Dialogue, Aaron Akeredola, also revealed that the time has come to confront the problem bedevilling the National team and sports honestly, spark new ideas and chart a lasting roadmap that will rebuild the team into a credible and globally competitive one.
The former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has recently made several statements regarding the state of Nigerian football. His key message emphasizes the need for a “total reorientation” and unity among stakeholders, while also blaming personal rivalries and a new World Cup qualification format for recent failures.
Amaju also called for Reorientation insisting that true progress is impossible without a collective change in mind set among Nigerians and football stakeholders, arguing that “deep-rooted bitterness, personal rivalries, and political vendettas” have consistently undermined the sport.
He accused certain individuals of praying for the Super Eagles’ failure during qualification campaigns to sabotage the current NFF administration led by Ibrahim Gusau.
Pinnick attributed Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup partly to the revised qualification format, arguing that the team would have advanced under the previous 2018 structure. He maintains that in 2022, “Nigeria neither lost nor won” the decisive fixtures but was affected by the format. In essence, his recent statements focus on a moral and administrative reset for Nigerian football.
The bottom line of my take is that if Nigerian football must return to the glory time, those managing football must be ready to listen to the yearnings of the stake holders. They must be ready to listen to the truth by the few and not praise singers. They must be ready to abide by the message from Pinnick Amaju for a total re-orientation and unity among stakeholders.
The issue of corruption must be tackled with the National Sports Commission spearheading the crusade to put a stop once and for all especially now that the African Cup of Nations is staring us in the face.
Thus, we have become a laughing stock before the international community with the issue of unpaid allowances and bonuses to our national teams.
Not quite long, the former Super Falcons coach, Randy Waldrum, has publicly raised allegations of corruption against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), accusing the federation of mismanaging funds intended for the women’s national team.
According to Waldrum, significant sums allocated by FIFA for team preparations were either misappropriated or poorly managed, leaving the Super Falcons with insufficient support for training camps, travel arrangements, and player welfare. He claimed that the lack of transparency had negatively affected the team’s performance and morale.
The allegations have reignited debates about governance in Nigerian football, particularly around the administration of the women’s national team, which has long been Africa’s most successful women’s squad. Under Waldrum’s leadership, the Super Falcons achieved remarkable results, but he insists that inadequate support from the NFF made his work increasingly challenging.
Waldrum also alleged that the NFF had employed “ghost staff” and mismanaged logistics, contributing to delays in allowances and poor coordination during international competitions. He emphasized that these issues undermine the credibility of Nigerian football on the global stage.
Finally, some people have said if we fail to kill corruption, corruption will sports and that is the truth, nothing but the truth.
