It's time to rebuild our football
The FIFA World Cup is a huge global platform for the exhibition of national pride. Unfortunately, due to the mismanagement of our football, Nigeria will be missing in action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For the second time in a row, the Super Eagles, the premium brand of all the 13 national football teams in the country, has failed to qualify for the quadrennial international men's football championship to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. But it came as no surprise to football followers. With debts to coaches and outstanding bonuses and allowances to players, some dating back several years, the national team arrived in Morocco as a house divided against itself.
When the draws were done more than two years ago, there was excitement in the Nigerian camp that it was going to be a smooth sailing for Super Eagles to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after missing the last edition in Qatar in 2022. The Group C pairings at the beginning of the qualifiers in November 2023 had Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, Benin Republic, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. When the qualifiers began, the Super Eagles drew their first three matches and lost the fourth to earn a miserable three points from a possible 12! The results were: Nigeria 0-0 Lesotho; Zimbabwe 1-1 Nigeria; Nigeria 1-1 South Africa and Benin Republic 2-1 Nigeria. The Portuguese coach, Jose Peseiro who started the qualifiers, was sacked and ex international, Finidi George took over. The defeat of Super Eagles in Abidjan, the adopted home of the Benin Cheetahs, also forced the former Ajax winger to step down from the job.
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With Super Eagles in fifth place at the time, the Nigerian football community was in turmoil. There were calls for something urgent to be done to restore the country's dignity in the qualification series. That was how Franco-Malien Eric Sekou Chelle arrived at the job. He momentarily brought smiles to the faces of Nigerians. The Super Eagles revived their campaigns with first victory in five matches in March this year, defeating Rwanda 2-0 away in Kigali. Hopes of consolidating against Zimbabwe in Uyo a week later fell through as the Warriors snatched a late 90th minute equalizer against Eagles. Inability to win home matches, including against teams that should pose no threat to Nigeria eventually became very costly.
A back-to-back absence of the Super Eagles at the World Cup is bound to set the country back over a decade. The Super Eagles, completed the 10-match African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, finishing second behind South Africa. Despite the deduction of three points and three goals for fielding an ineligible player in their match against Lesotho, South Africa still rode to the ticket. Even when Nigeria qualified as one of the four best runners up nations in the nine groups, it still lost the chance to DR Congo in Morocco after winning their first match against Gabon. This is not the same Super Eagles considered the second most entertaining team in the world back in 1994. It was then rated fifth best team amongst football nations by FIFA.
If reports of what transpired in Morocco where the players refused to train two days before their first match were any guide, then the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has learnt no lessons from recent past. This problem has dogged almost all our previous participations in global sporting events, especially football. The NFF and the Sports Ministry should be held accountable for what they do with the money voted for these tournaments. But more importantly, authorities in the country must learn to swallow the bitter fact that this is the time to return our football to the basics and rebuild.
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REBIRTH OF TOURISM
Akwa Ibom is stepping into a future where tourism is a pillar of prosperity, writes BASSEY ATTAH
The courtyard of the once-abandoned Ibom International Convention Centre in Uyo had a familiar echo, grand ambition suspended in concrete, steel and scaffolding. For 15 years, the massive edifice had stood as an unfinished dream, a symbol of what Akwa Ibom could become but had not yet managed to fully claim. But on this day, the atmosphere was different. Hope was palpable. Machinery hummed. Hope is restored. Architects hovered over new drawings. And banners announcing "Reconstruction Flag-Off Ceremony" fluttered in the breeze.
At the centre of the scene was Governor Umo Eno, the man many now describe as the state's quiet transformer. With a hard hat in hand and a calm confidence that has increasingly defined his administration, he signalled the beginning of a new chapter: the reconstruction of the Ibom International Convention Centre and the long-stalled Ibom 200-bedroom Hotels.
It was not just another government event, it was indeed a statement of intent. A declaration that Akwa Ibom is ready to grow beyond oil, and a demonstration of the governor's belief that tourism is not merely a sector, but a pathway to economic reinvention.
In his address, delivered against the backdrop of cranes and half-completed structures, Governor Eno placed the day's significance within the broader compass of the ARISE Agenda, the administration's comprehensive development policy. Tourism, he reminded the audience, is one of the agenda's pivotal pillars. And tourism does not thrive on rhetoric; it thrives on infrastructure.
"We are gathered here," he said, "in our determined effort to position Akwa Ibom State as the tourism hub of Nigeria."
The governor, a former hotelier and past chairman of the State Hotels and Tourism Board, spoke with both conviction and practical understanding. He noted that the convention centre and hotel are vital signposts in the state's evolving tourism master plan, complementing the emerging ARISE Resort, another ambitious project shaping the state's future.
To frame the significance of the moment, he turned to scripture, Hebrews 11:39-40, reflecting on how the structures had been started by visionary leaders 15 years ago but remained unfinished, awaiting a time and a leadership that would bring them to completion.
"I believe God wanted us to be part of these projects and to drive them to conclusion," he said quietly, acknowledging the efforts of past leaders while asserting the unique role his administration is now called to play.
In characteristic humility, Governor Eno responded directly to those who have questioned the decision to invest in a previously abandoned hotel project.
His answer was disarmingly simple: "I came not just to deepen peace and unity in my State but to deploy my finishers' anointing, especially on projects that may have gulped billions of our State's resources already."
It was a subtle rebuke of the common Nigerian pattern where incoming administrations abandon the works of their predecessors. Instead, Eno has chosen continuity--finding value where others saw political baggage.
And he is uniquely suited for the task. With decades of experience in hospitality, he understands the demands of operating a world-class convention and hotel facility. He understands global tourism trends. He understands what travellers seek and what destinations must offer. By bringing this practitioner's insight to governance, he is bridging the gap between ambition and expertise.
With these elements working together, Akwa Ibom is no longer dreaming about tourism; it is building the infrastructure to dominate it. "Akwa Ibom stands at the cusp of expansion and growth," the governor said,
Throughout the event, Governor Eno returned to a recurring theme, unity. He urged Akwa Ibom people to rise above political bickering and focus on the collective pursuit of progress. The ARISE Agenda, he emphasized, is the governing blueprint and must remain the centre of shared aspiration.
His call resonated widely. Leaders from across the political spectrum acknowledged that the governor's leadership style, calm, inclusive, pragmatic is gradually reshaping the tone of governance and civic engagement in the state.
The ceremony became a chorus of bipartisan endorsements. Senator Aniekan Bassey, speaking on behalf of National Assembly members, praised the governor's inclusive approach and affirmed their readiness to stand with him in the journey ahead.
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Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, commended the transparency in project execution, noting that lawmakers were satisfied that funds were being judiciously deployed.
Chief Assam Assam, SAN, a respected statesman, offered perhaps the most memorable endorsement, calling Governor Eno a jinx breaker.
"You've done well," he told the governor emphatically. "May God continue to bless you."
Local government chairmen and the Paramount Ruler of Ibesikpo-Asutan also lauded the governor's commitment to completing projects he did not start--a trait too rare in Nigerian politics.
In his project overview, Comrade Ini Ememobong, Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport, described the facilities as "critical in the tourism equation of the State." Once completed, he said, they would channel tourism traffic into Akwa Ibom, generating jobs, hospitality revenue, event-based commerce and global visibility.
It is a point economists have echoed: tourism is labour-intensive and value-generating. For a state looking beyond oil, the sector offers sustainable pathways to job creation and wealth redistribution.
As the event drew to a close, the symbolism became clear. The cranes rising over Uyo are more than construction equipment--they are metaphors of resurrection, of reclaiming abandoned dreams, of leadership that sees value in continuity, and of a state boldly reinventing itself.
Governor Umo Eno is not just rebuilding structures; he is rebuilding confidence in the power of vision, professionalism and faith-driven governance. Under his watch, Akwa Ibom is stepping into a future where tourism is not an afterthought but a pillar of prosperity.
With the reconstruction now underway, the long-dormant monuments of ambition are finally awakening. And as Akwa Ibom positions itself as Nigeria's next great tourism destination, one truth stands out: the journey beyond oil has truly begun.
Attah writes from Akwa-Ibom State
