NTDC Director General, Chief Segun Runsewe
Super Eagles players have been assured of massive support at next year’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa following their superlative 6-1 demolition of the Lone Star of Liberia in Calabar last Saturday.
Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Chief Segun Runsewe, who was physically present in Calabar at the weekend to support the Eagles in the quest to beat Liberia to the AFCON 2013 ticket, said that it was time that the Nigeria returned to the top of African football.
“We at NTDC came here (Calabar) fully loaded to support the Super Eagles in the quest for the ticket to the Nations Cup next year. We are happy that all our effort did not go down as a waste as the boys have made us all proud,” observed Chief Runsewe.
He however ever noted that the real task of getting Nigerian soccer back to the top of Africa begins with the qualification to the AFCON 2013.
“This is the time for the players and coaches to redouble their efforts. After we missed the last edition jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the only way the Super Eagles can rekindle the kind of followership they had in the past is to finish the competition decently,” said the NTDC director general who stormed Calabar with several bags of branded t-shirts, mufflers, jackets, pins and pens for the fans at the UJ Esuene Stadium.
“What you have seen here is nothing compare with the plan we have for the competition proper in South Africa next year. We are going to make sure that Nigerians stand out of the crowd with our green and white colours. We did it at the World Cup in South Africa and also repeated it at the last Olympic Games in London where we used the opportunities to market Nigeria to the world as choice tourism destination,” stressed the sports loving director general.
Runsewe however called for adequate preparation of the Super Eagles by the Nigerian Football Federation and the National Sports Commission.
“Nothing should be spared to ensure that the Super Eagles lack nothing in their preparations to go and make a statement at the Nations Cup. Thereafter, we can then begin to look forward to also qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil,” concludes the tourism chief.