“The country’s expectation is that they will win the cup and bring it back to Nigeria,” said Sports Minister John Enoh after he emerged from closed-door talks with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Enoh’s comments came on the backdrop of a recent grouping ahead of the tournament—beginning in January— which saw the Super Eagles drawn with the host nation, Cote d’Ivoire.
At the draw held at the Parc Des Expositions in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday, the Super Eagles will also face Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea as part of Group A.
He assured Nigerians that the Government would spare no efforts to rally the nation behind the Super Eagles for the required solidarity and support.
Enoh reasoned that the athletes would be encouraged towards peak performance when they are aware of massive home support.
Consequently, President Tinubu has approved a national campaign tagged “Let’s Do It Again” to mobilise resources for the Super Eagles for a successful tournament, he revealed.
“By the time they know that the whole country is behind them, they will have added firepower.
“That’s the idea of the campaign. It will be a morale booster,” he explained.
According to the former lawmaker, the Let’s Do It Again campaign would mobilise enough resources from the private sector to support the national team such that government funds would not be needed for the tournament.
The minister noted that for a country that has not won the AFCON in 10 years, the Super Eagles are determined to win again, “which means they must prepare very well.”
Highlighting long-term plans, he promised to emphasise grassroots sports development and revive headmasters’ sports competition in primary schools to attract talent.
The grassroots sports development is aimed at bringing sports activities close to the youths in the rural areas where they will be exposed to sports facilities to hone their talents, he clarified.
