The House of Representatives has expressed the need to pay more attention to sports in the country, even as the Super Eagles supporters club rued non-recognition by the Presidency that honored the victorious players.
According to the lawmakers, sports and football in particular require better funding as well as private sector investment in facilities and sponsorship.
The resolution of the House came at the reception of the victorious players of the Super Eagles yesterday at the plenary where House rules were suspended to host the African champions into the chamber.
The Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, in his opening remark said the special session was meant to “relish, cherish, celebrate and honour you for this uncommon achievement that no doubt marks a new beginning in the annals of Nigerian Soccer and the rebirth of our national pride and global image in this round leather game”. The Speaker noted that the players might not realise the magnitude of the impact of the victory to the psyche of Nigerians.
He said: “I know that we speak the minds of the Nigerian people if we state here that since Sunday the 10th February 2013 when you lifted the reveled trophy, the African Cup of nations in far away South Africa, you literally lifted the spirit of the Nation and altered the focus from that of a slumbering giant consumed in the lamentations of hopelessness over the longative fate of an unenviable catalogue of failures that had befallen it to that of renascence in the thread of self confidence and success of yesteryears that nurtured our collective national pride.”
Besides, he noted that the victory has shown that the country has the technical competence to execute its footballing competitions without foreign aid.
“To me, and I believe for many soccer loving Nigerians, it is only now that we can truly say that we have come of age in the game and never again shall we go cap in hand on a recruitment drive for foreign coaches.
“All we need do is to replicate Keshis, the Amokachis, the Siasias and others, thirdly we did not loose a single game throughout, the competition indeed the bigger the team, the more convincingly we beat them and when I say we, I mean the Super Eagles for that is what we all are today,” he added.
Tambuwal alluded to the fact that the Nigerian youths have never and would never stop doing the nation proud, in all endeavors of our national life, saying, “This bunch of youths have proven beyond any doubt that there is still hope for Nigeria and this hope is on the enterprising sport of her youth.
“This victory is a lesson, in self confidence rather than arrogance, a lesson in self respect, a lesson in shear doggedness, a lesson in personal sacrifice in the promotion of national interest, a lesson in unmitigated passion and above all a lesson in unity of purpose-for we prayed as much in our churches are we did in our mosques and the Almighty God honoured this spirit of unity. I only hope that henceforth, we shall not depart from this path.”
He however urged the team not to see the victory as the stepping stone to bettering existing records, citing Egypt that has lifted the trophy seven times, Ghana and Cameroun, four times each.
Noting that all the three countries have lifted the trophy three times, back to back. The Speaker added, “Our goal therefore must be to overtake whatever achievements in this continental soccer competition attained by other nations. I therefore charge us all that for a start this trophy must not leave the shores of this great nation in the next five editions of the competition so that we shall not only have lifted it for the most number of times but become the first nation to lift it 6 times back to back.
“Only then shall we proclaim that we the greatest. This is doable not just in the field of soccer or sports but indeed in all spheres of human endeavour in our march to greatness as a nation.”
While appreciating the entire team for, “this gift of reawakening, may your zeal, passion and enterprising spirit never wave and may this fire of national reawakening burn henceforth forever”.
The Speaker promised that the House would do all it could to ensure that “never again shall we be found slumbering as a nation”.
Sponsor of the motion, Godfrey Gaya (PDP, Kaduna) said the honour was apt going by the fact the fact that the tournament was last won by the Eagles 19 years ago coupled with the unifying factor the game of football has assumed in the country
“This victory is a significant milestone in the football renaissance of this great country, having a great potential to encouraging youth of this country to aspire to football excellence and hence in national rebirth. We are however happy that this victory brought Nigeria to a level where we can begin to aspire to greatness in other fields.”
The lawmakers unanimously adopted the prayers to celebrate and encourage excellence in the players, coaching crew, the NFF, and the Ministry so as to put Nigeria on the upward sporting map:
Encourage the development of sporting facilities in all parts of the country to facilitate our teeming youths to having access to good sporting facilities. Encourage adequate funding to football and other sports by government to improve existing facilities and to develop new ones to encourage participation.
Request members of the National Assembly to design and sponsor sporting activities in their various constituencies to augment governments efforts. Appreciate government recognition and honour but want streets named after the players in the States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Called for private sector investment in sports development and sponsorship as part of their social corporate social responsibility to Nigeria.
Want government and private sector to encourage the development of local talents in sports and other areas of national endeavors.
The Coach, Stephen Keshi, in his remarks thanked the lawmakers for the opportunity and the encouragement while assuring that the team would always strive to make the country proud at all times.
President General of the Supporters Club, Dr. Raul Ladipo reminded the authorities of the unity football has been engendering in the country and urged them to pay better attention to it.
He also pleaded with the lawmakers to liaise with the Presidency on the possibility of honouring back stage crew of the team, an action which he said was not encouraging to those playing key roles in the victory of the team behind the scene.
