Honourable Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, has tasked the Super Eagles to replicate their 10-0 first leg win against São Tomé and Principe in the return leg in Uyo on Sunday.
The Eagles will round off their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they host São Tomé inside the Godswill Akpabio International stadium.
While the Eagles have already booked their place at the 2023 tournament, São Tomé have since been eliminated.
Speaking with the players during dinner, Enoh said:“It’s a great feeling for me to be with you, a lot of you that I have watched for quite a while play for your different club sides.
“For me it’s a very important meeting to introduce myself to you and to get you to understand that we are going to be in this together. What successes that you record individually and collectively are successes that also affect me and our entire country.
“So I bring you greetings from the President and Commander-in-Chief his Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and indeed every Nigerian.
“I thank the standin captain who has been quoted widely you are going to win the match for me and I thank you for that.
“I’m very proud of all of you, the passion that this game excites for all Nigerians is unbelievable and you are the key, you are the top of that. A few days ago unbehalf of the President I signed a message congratulating Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala for being nominated for the Ballon d’Or. There’s no greater pride you do for your country than that.
“Also just a few days ago in a meeting with the NFF president we took a decision about the coach and I’m glad that he is here and continuing the work he’s done.
“The game against Sao Tome is going to be my first engagement as Minister of Sports and if you can beat them the way you did in the first leg how much more here in Uyo and how much more a welcome gift to me.”
The Minister said he is aware of the problems of the team and like what the NFF president have said, the wisdom of the president of the country is to have the Minister of Sports Development alone.
“I think that beyond today I’m ready and willing to follow you as family, I like to be part of that, to be part of this conscious effort to see what we can do together in our football back to where it has always been. And individually, like I said I’ve watched you play in your different club sides, you have got abundant talents and I think that we can do better than we are doing.”
He stated that he is challenged more than anything else to be part of the growth process and the development process of the country’s football.
In his remarks, NFF Ibrahim Gusau, expressed confidence that with the new Sports Minister on board, things will change for good.
“Since we came on board we have a lot of challenges but the players have been very cooperative and I want to thank them for that because I know a lot of sacrifices they’ve made to ensure that at least they are all here.
“Going forward as we said, now we have a Minister of Sports, by the grace of God I know he’s going to focus on trying to change the narratives.“
Speaking also was head coach Jose Peseiro who reiterated his target of winning next year’s AFCON tournament.
“You know about the NFF financial problems and we need you because our players deserve a lot just like what the NFF president said because we have fantastic players who always come to defend the flag every time.
“So we ask you to please help the NFF, the players because we want to win AFCON but we need to prepare well. Good facilities, enough camping time if it’s possible, get the best players to improve our team because we want to win the best AFCON.“
Also, assistant captain, William Troost-Ekong, said he and his teammates are looking forward to having the Sports Minister at the game against São Tomé.
“Thank you the Honourable Minister and I welcome you from all the players. The preparations for the game has been good and we are looking forward to having you there at the match to inaugurate you and also welcome you to the team.
“I must be honest with you, you are right to say that the Super Eagles have not performed in the way they’ve been doing in the last years, this is partly due to the conditions that we have been in and we are happy that the NFF president is here, he’s doing his best to help the team, we should be thinking about winning the next AFCON and being in the World Cup in 2026.
“So I greatly appreciate you being here I thank you for your support and we really hope that you can understand what we are asking for and I can promise you the boys want to do everything to make Nigerian football great again.”
5 Comments
Mr Sports minister – so Sao Tome will not improve from their last defeat? Have you paid the backlog of debt to the players and coaches? As you have a career as a politician, so do the players have a career they’d like to be successful in. Until you emulate other top nations in administration, you have no right to ask of anything unreasonable from the players.
Top marks for you (but your username na wah ).
No mind them. No be only 10-0. Make them make am 45-0. Average one goal every two minutes.
Come on guys is it the work of the sports minister to pay their allowance. I mean the man just assume office and we welcome him with this.
The only thing I am glad about is that he is from Akwa Ibom which means Super Eagles will at least for the next 4 years have their home in Akwa Ibom State.
The NFF is under his ministry duh! Didn’t you read where he talked about making a decision together with the NFF about the coach?
Seriously, Our sports minister is definitely clueless.