The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has urged the Super Eagles of Nigeria to face the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 clash with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon as serious battle that must be won.
Speaking via Zoom with the team in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire yesterday, the minister stated emphatically that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to the national team should be rewarded with victory at the tournament.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Sports Minister, Diana-Mary Tiku Nsan, Senator Enoh reiterated the need for Super Eagles to fire on all cylinders to ensure their progress into the next round.
“I went to the Villa for something else, and the President (Tinubu) said to me that we managed to qualify. I told His Excellency that is how we will keep going until we win the tournament. The President then asked to tell you all that now that we have passed the group stage, he (Tinubu) is banking on you all to impress him and the country even more,” the Minister told the Super Eagles players and officials via Zoom.
“This actually means the President is watching the games. He is urging you to go all the way from the Round of 16. We have seen countries finishing the group stages by the whiskers, and still going on to play in the final, like Egypt did at the last AFCON in Cameroon.”
Senator Enoh assured the team that Nigerians are solidly backing them to replicate the success of 2013.
“Every Nigerian is rooting for you and we believe that we can do it again. Please, let’s play as a team, follow the instructions of the technical crew, and keep our eyes on the ball.”
He further urged the team to shun distractions from social media, but instead use this opportunity to write their names in gold.
“Imagine winning our fourth Cup of Nations and going down in history as the team that gave the country million reasons to smile. Please do it for Nigeria, do it for our people. Let’s go to battle in our remaining games,” he urged the team.
Captain of the team, Ahmed Musa, appreciated the Sports Minister for bringing words of encouragement to the team. He assured him of the team’s readiness to put everything on the line to make the country proud.
Nigeria will play Cameroon in the Round of 16 on Saturday, with quarterfinal berth on the offing as the tournament reaches the knockout phase.
