Sports
NOA donates to Eagles’ Campaign 2010 W/Cup
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has donated 10,000 support materials to the Super Eagles, according to a statement issued in Abuja early in the week.
The donation is to support the Eagles in their bid to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Fidel Agu and made available to newsmen, NOA said the materials included copies of the Nigerian National Flag and Nigerian map lapel pins.
Others are Nigerian rally flags,the National Anthem in Compact Disc format and several NOA publications.
In addition,NOA had dispatched individual letters of goodwill to all the 23 players on the Nigerian contingent to the 2010 mundial.
The statement also said that the Agency’s Director-General, Alhaji Idi Farouk, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Sani Lulu.
The NOA boss said the gesture was to challenge and encourage the NFF in its drive to ensure a hitch-free participation of the Super Eagles in the World Cup.
He expressed optimism and confidence in the Super Eagles’ ability to lift the FIFA 2010 World Cup trophy.
“We have confidence in the NFF and the Super Eagles,and given the historic African resilience and the Nigerian ‘can-do it’ spirit, no level of victory would come to us as a surprise.
“The name of Nigeria could decorate the World Cup, and I therefore, enjoin the NFF not to relent in its efforts to ensure that our truly beloved Super Eagles perform remarkably,” the NOA Director-General said.
Farouk also commended President Goodluck Jonathan’s support and encouragement of football and the Super Eagles in particular, describing it as an inspiration that “re-ignites the Nigerian fighting spirit” for success at various levels of the sport.
In his response, NFF President, Lulu said his administration had built on the foundation of its predecessors to lift the standard of football in Nigeria by partnering with well- meaning Nigerians.
“Here in NFF, we have the willing mind to go for the highest trophy. Since the inception of this administration,we have participated in all FIFA events and have qualified for almost all tournaments.
“We worry at all times whether we are satisfying the expectations of Nigerians because of the nature of media reports about football and the NFF. “But we are consoled by this visit, and the comments of the NOA Director-General.
“We see it as the mind of government toward us and we are very grateful,” he added.
He also prayed God to honour Nigeria with winning the World Cup as a gift to celebrate the nation’s 50th Independence Anniversary.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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