The chairman of Niger State Sports Commission, Alhaji Abdul Masu has charged Nigerians to use the Super Eagles’ outing at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as a rallying point for unity across the federation.
While urging Nigerians to use the ongoing focus on AFCON 2025 to further cement national unity in the country, Masu also charged Eagles’ players to avoid issues that express divisions in the squad.
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He stated these points and more in an exclusive interview with Sports247 in Fes, Morocco, where he is lending support to the Eagles along with seven commissioners and some sports enthusiasts from Niger State.
Masu disclosed, “This contingent is sponsored solely by Niger State government to support the Super Eagles to victory here in Morocco. Through the special grace of God, we have made it to the quarterfinals.
“We did it with an excellent performance by our men, and I’m happy to congratulate Nigerians on behalf of the government of Niger State.
“We celebrate the excellent performance of the Nigerian men, who played under heavy rain. They did very well and victory was ours. So, we give glory to God.”
Masu also made references to confrontations seen by Victor Osimhen against Ademola Lookman and Bruno Onyemachi, then charged all the Nigerian players to avoid any form of individual desire that could derail their mission at AFCON 2025.
He sermonised, “I want to advise them to keep playing as a team. Football is not an individual sport. When you are in team sport, you have to play a collective style … that it is what we call teamwork.
“For us, it is not being the best player or highest goals scorer that matters … it’s winning the trophy as a nation.
“Even if Victor Osimhen scores one million goals, the question would be: Who won the cup? So, I’m not interested in MVP or whatever. It’s the cup we want.”
The Niger State sports boss then spoke about unifying values that can be gained from the Eagles’ ongoing exploits in Morocco, even as he assured the team of continued support from his delegation and all Nigerians in general.
“Ours is to give prayers that will help them win this trophy for the nation. Sports has become a unifying factor that brings Nigerians together from all walks of life.
“From what I saw in the stadium, nobody was asking anyone, ‘Where are you from?’ They were all saying to us, ‘Are you a Nigerian? Congratulations.’
“Even some Moroccans supported our players. So, we also appreciate the Moroccans for their support. They cheered us on as if we were the Moroccan team.
“Other nations are also behind us. So, why are we making a difference among ourselves? That’s a big concern for me, and we have to end those divisions,” Masu noted.
He concluded with an expression of hope that the Super Eagles will go all the way to the final and win the cup on January 18th in order to buttress the need for a closer look at unity back home in Nigeria.
“This is the time for us to reflect and look at what we are supposed to do as a nation, in order to enhance the progress and development of Nigeria,” Masu advocated.
