Reading time:2 min read

Patriotism Bonded By The Strength of Few Eagles

Who would have thought that a country whose occasional routines are crises caused by ethical differences and religious intolerance would have its citizens in unison on matters of the pitch and goals?

Igbo, Fulani, Christianity, and Islam were mere nomenclature and ordinary orthographical compositions in the past few weeks in Nigeria. Even a Tapa man who knows neither the pronunciation nor meaning of Nwabali was more than happy to celebrate his fellow compatriots. Could it be that in sports lies the panacea to Nigeria’s generational problem?

This thought is one majority may have always conceived after years of careful examination of people’s interactions when competition arises. However, given that these events are periodic, is it then safe to bank on these activities as problem-solving factors for Nigeria’s everyday problems? A sport like football could give hope for preserving national consciousness amongst Nigerians, but don’t be deluded to believe this is the way out. Just after yesterday’s match, thousands put behind them previous glories and compliments of the Super Eagles and rained buckets of complaints and condemnations on them.

This reflects how even football could fuel continuous disunity within our space. Instead, the president and his functionaries should, as a matter of urgency, get wide-lens binoculars to see the degree of problems inherent in the country and proffer timely solutions. Lack of national consciousness is secondary in comparison to the state’s poverty and insecurity status. If the government can be more intentional about this perhaps our eagles will soar to their destination in coming contests.