Lagos — He is now on his own. Everyone, who promised to stand by Super Eagles head coach to the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, Shuaibu Amodu, has abandoned him to his fate. No thanks to the unsatisfactory performance of the team at the recently concluded Africa's own World Cup, held in Angola.

Before then soccer-loving Nigerians did not hide their preference for a foreign gaffer when the Super Eagles qualification for the first World Cup to be held in Africa, hanged on a precipice. Then, the nation resorted to permutation waiting for the last day of the qualifiers when Group B leaders, Tunisia would slip for the Super Eagles to slip into South Africa. Indeed, Tunisia slipped and the Super Eagles slipped in to South Africa as the former lost the last match against Mozambique while the Eagles picked the maximum point against Kenya.

The nation became sharply divided. While some backed Amodu for picking the group's sole ticket, others did not. They contended that the team lacked technical depth and that when if it met a strong team, it would fall.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) leadership told the bewildered nation that it would swim and sink with the former Orlando Pirates of South Africa handler. President of NFF, Sani Lulu, told everyone who cared to listen that there was no vacancy at the headship of the Eagles' coaching crew.

When Lulu led a delegation of the NFF to South Africa for the final World Cup draws, a journalist asked Lulu when he would give in to the pressure to sack Amodu. Chairman NFF Technical Committee, Taiwo Ogunjobi, turned and looked at Lulu and looked straight into the reporter's eyes and thundered "Amodu will lead the team back here in June".

Back at home, Lulu argued a man who has performed need not be sacked. Amodu, he continued, had the mandate to pick the World Cup ticket and that he had done that. "All we need to do is to support our own and give him the enabling environment to perform. That we are doing," he added.

Perhaps no better time was this demonstrated than in January when an Appreciation Dinner was held in honour of the Super Eagles. Amodu got a KIA SUV (Jeep) in appreciation of a job well done.

Barely a month after, things have changed and the one in whom the leadership of the NFF was greatly pleased was redeployed to the Super Eagles Team B (Home Based).

At an executive meeting to announce the redeployment of Amodu and the preference for a world-class coach, Lulu said that they had to bow to popular pressure and the demand for a foreign coach.

Before then, speculations were rife that the NFF was already talking to a number of coaches that would take over Amodu's job.

The reporter, who was with the NFF delegation in South Africa, called Ogunjobi, asked him the same question again. Hear his response: "That has been taken over by circumstances."

Amodu refused to report for duty and this earned him a query.

The latest of Amodu's allies to dump him are the sports editors. They agreed that the NFF was in line to employ a foreign coach to take over Amodu's job and by extension lead the team to South Africa in June.

At the Tom Tom Editors Round Table, they disagreed on whether Amodu should be part of the new technical crew.

The editors, who were provided the platform by Tom Tom, official candy of the Nigerian national football teams, disagreed on whether the team's former chief coach should be among the assistants to be chosen by the technical adviser.

By a vote of 17 to 14, the session reasoned that the technical adviser should be allowed to pick his own assistants who might include Amodu.

Presided over by the former captain of the national team, Segun Odegabmi, the parliament had in attendance Commercial Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Idorenyen Enang; Editor Soccer Star, Kunle Solaja, who played the role of Speaker; Managing Director Complete Communications, Mumini Alao; and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Effiong Nyong.

What an irony of life. Two years ago, with exception of a few of them, the same set of editors voted for Amodu for the job of the Super Eagles head coach, though he came third in the interview. Samson Siasia, erstwhile coach of Nigeria's Under-20 team came first.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) ferried them to Abuja where they were asked to vote for the replacement of Berti Vogts, who took the Super Eagles to its worst outing at the Nations Cup in 25 years. Today they are singing a new tune, but the man at the centre of it all, Amodu, has since softened his hard line stance. He has eaten humble pie and has decided to report to the camp. Throwing his weight behind the NFF's hiring of a foreign coach, he said that the NFF has done nothing wrong. He insisted that it was part of his contract.

"It is part of the contract I signed with the federation to work under a foreign coach," Amodu told a gathering of the sports editors in Lagos during the week.

Also, he promised to work with any of the coaches who the federation eventually hires for the World Cup.

He argued that his re-deployment to Team B does not mean that he has been sacked or demoted as being speculated in the media. He noted that what the NFF had done was in tandem with the contract he signed with the federation.

"From this contract, the NFF has not done anything contrary to agreement I had with them. The Team B is my idea. I started it. The idea was to get an alternative for the national team.

"Team B was part of my responsibility as Super Eagles head coach. There is no issue of demotion or sack."

By now, it would have dawned on the Ikpilla, Edo State-born tactician that human beings would lick with you only fingers dripping with oil and not the one bleeding.