By Desmond Ekwueme
This message goes to the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It is time you bring back the national team, talking about Super Eagles Nigerians are used to. It is time, you return to the things and days that brought us joy. You can’t be repeating same mistake and expect different or positive results. Enough is enough.
Between the 60s up till 1980 when Nigeria won her first AFCON trophy even down to 2013 when the team won it’s last AFCON title, the national team is a place for men with “red eyes,” men with balls, men with hearts and men with green blood if you permit that.
Hearts to resist defeat and shame. Hearts to fight for victory. Heart to be ruthless against foes. Hearts to defend their fatherland through football…and hearts to be proud of the national colours.
The green and white colours especially the shirts are enough motivation to pump the blood flowing in their veins and arteries. In fact while playing for the national team, their blood should change colours from red to green and white.
That was how and when we had the Eagles of Christian Chukwu, Tunde Bamidele, Segun Odegbami, Muda Lawal, Alloy Atuegbu, Tarila Okoronwanta, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Monday Odiaka, Charles Okonkwo, Uwem Ekarika, Andrew Uwe, Herbert Anijekwu, Stephen Keshi, Isaac Semitoje, Tajudeen Disu, Chidi Nwanu, Uche Okechukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Daniel Amokachi and Taribo West to mention a few.
The Eagles who hate defeat so much so that they cry and most times reject dinner when defeated. The Eagles who see football as war. Yes, a war to keep the honour, prestige, dignity, pride and reputation of Nigeria.
At times they go spiritual by fasting and praying for days just to win for Nigeria. They sacrifice everything needed to make Nigeria proud including staying away from family and friends for days and weeks in camp in preparation to fight and win for Nigeria.
The fans cheer them from the terraces as they charge their opponents like angry bulls from the blast of the referee’s whistle to the end of the game. They light up the fire of pressure on their opponents bombarding them with ceaseless raids and attacks from all angles.
From the right, the Odegbamis, Okoronwantas, Nzeakors, Okpodus, Okosiemes and Finidis attack like sharks…And from the left, the Amiesimakas, Owolabis, Edobors, Anigalas, Etokebes, Okenlas, Elahos, Ohenhens and Amunikes attack like hungry whales.
And upfront, the Usiyens, Onyedikas, Osigwes, Okonkwos, Ekarikas, Odiakas, Owubokiris, Obikus and Yekinis will keep hitting the woodworks with bullets, harassing the opposing defenders and keeping goalkeepers panting and panicking for 90 minutes.
In the midfield were Generals of war with loads of experience in marking, tackling, roving, dribbling and passing the ball with wall cracking deliveries…the Lawals, Atuegbus, Nwosus, Okwarajis, Ekpos, Okons, Esins, Amoos, Adeshinas, Ehilegbus, Ogunlanas, Obobaifos, Kpakors, Igbinabaros, Olisehs, Okochas, Adepojus and Olihas commanded and covered every space between the defence and attack lines.
The Eagles who gave the average fan confidence even before a game. The Eagles while filing out for a game inject fears into the spins of their opponents. The Eagles who gave Nigerians joy unlimited.
The Eagles who made National Stadium Surulere Lagos a dreaded ground. The venue was like a cage fight for opponents. They could hardly breathe. The atmosphere especially with the presence of the vociferous fans was not only scary but capable of choking the opponents to submission and defeat. It was a den for Eagles where they feasted on opponents.
The Eagles that grew up in and from the ghettos where life has taught them huge lessons of not giving up easily. Eagles who experienced hunger, poverty, starvation, deprivation, pains and hardship which they detest with passion and never wished same for their fans and country through or by any means of defeat.
The Eagles like Victor Osimhen who gives his all at all times. He plays with passion. He plays as if his life depends on each game. While playing he showcases the bitter experience of his early life while on the pitch. While playing you could feel him saying in his mind, “Do you know what my eyes have seen while growing up? Do you know what I have passed through?”
Yours sincerely is talking about Eagles fished out from the trenches…the dark and unknown places in and of our clime. Eagles recruited from Principal Cup, Schools Management Council (SMC) Cup, Manuwa Adebajo Cup, Bankers Cup, CBN Cup, Oba Cup, FA Cup, Bournvita Pro-League, Mock Nations Cup ground in Ajegunle, Tego ground, Tolu Sports Complex, Abalti Barracks, Ashanti Barracks, Saint Mary’s Orege, White Sand Orile, NNPC Pitch Effunrun, Aladja (both in Warri), Playgrounds around Bookshop area near Challenge, Mokola and Bodija in Ibadan, Zaria, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Gboko, Calabar among other cities.
Eagles under the watch of sound football minds like Dan Anyiam, Eto Amaechina, Alabi Aissen, Charles Bassey, James Peters, Chris Udemezue, Paul Hamilton, Tunde Disu, Joe Erico, Sebastian Brodericks, Monday Sinclair, Adeboye Onigbinde, Godwin Etemike and Gideon Egogo to mention a few. Coaches who combed the nooks and crannies of the country to hunt for talents and laboured to refine them into world class. Coaches who produced the Yekinis, Siasias, Okochas, Kanus, Amokachis, Finidis, Olisehs among others.
NFF, please give us back our Eagles. The Eagles that are thirsty and hungry for glory. The Eagles that are deeply pained if they miss a World Cup tournament and the Eagles that have green blood flowing in their veins.
Give us back our soldiers. Give us back our warriors. Gives us back our fighters. Gives us back our patriots. Give us back our “joy hawkers”. Gives us back our national team. Give us back our Eagles.
Give us Eagles who have stakes here. The Eagles with, for and among us. The Eagles who feel every pinch of pain like us when they fail to win. The Eagles who know that the fans are the neighbors of their relatives and friends.
