Dont write off Eagles, Buhari appeals to Nigerians

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has pleaded with Nigerians not to write off the Super Eagles players and officials after they crashed out of the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations following a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the round of 16 in Garoua, Cameroon on Sunday.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement he signed late Monday titled “Don’t write off Super Eagles, pleads President Buhari.”

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (C) delivers a speech at the launch of the largest rice pyramids in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 18, 2022. - The bags of rice which were planted and harvested by Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) from states in Nigeria, are one million rice paddies stacked in 15 separate pyramids which is expected to solve the food crisis in Nigeria. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Buhari, though the team did not live up to Nigerians’ expectations in the tournament, both officials and players deserve commendation for the tough fight they put up.

The President stated that the Super Eagles “gave everyone the confidence that they were up to it, and I am sure it was something they could have achieved. Nonetheless, we should not write them off.”

He urged Nigerians to encourage the players to do better next time, especially in view of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification play-offs against Ghana in March.

Buhari thus directed the country’s football authorities to undertake a critical assessment of the Eagles’ performance at the AFCON tournament and encouraged the general public to send their suggestions to the Nigeria Football Federation to ensure to help plan well for a better outing in the forthcoming World Cup play-offs.