January, 5 2024.
As NFF Commends President Bola Tinubu over swift approval of Super Eagles AFCON Budget
The biggest and loudest football fiesta on the African continent, the Africa Cup of Nations, is now a matter of days as the entire football World is about to shift her attention to Ivory Coast.
And the biggest black Nation on the continent Nigeria is expected to play a major role when hostilities kick start on the 14th of January, 2024.
The significance of Nigeria playing her role very well by winning the Nations Cup will surely resonates beyond the country's football family to the entire Nation and it's overall impact cannot
be over emphasized.
This current AFCON therefore offers the Present Government a good opportunity to show that it's Renewed Hope project is different and working in the face of many challenges still confronting the Nation.
And President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not disappointed by approving the Super Eagles Nations Cup budget, a gesture the President of the NFF Ibrahim Gusau described as highly commendable.
" I think President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be highly recommended for how he responded to our AFCON Budget with swift approval and as a board I think we owe him a very good outing in Ivory Coast and by God's Grace the Super eagles will not disappoint".
" The Honourable Minister of Sports Senator John Enoh has also been very supportive in this regards to ensure the Super Eagles have a smooth and successful participation in the tournament", Gusau concluded.
Everyone knows the role of financial involvement if the Super Eagles must do well at the Nations Cup and oftentimes this aspect is always the sad story of Nigeria's involvement in major tournaments over the years.
And now that Mr President has approved the Super Eagles budget for the tournament in furtherance of his Renewed Hope promises, one will expect that the NFF will not find too much difficulties and bottlenecks in accessing this fund especially from the Ministry of Finance.
As we know approving of funds is totally different from the actual release of such funds in the workings of Government and this is why one will expect that all the agencies and persons involved to ensure that the approval of Mr President actually gets to the NFF on time and in time.
As it it well known , the NFF is often faced with so many bottlenecks during major tournaments with regards to approval and release of funds to carry out her statutory functions.
In fact Many times officials of the NFF run from pillar to post to get funds available so that the country is not faced with international embarrassment at these major tournaments but the Present Government has shown huge committment to correct this with Mr President's gesture.
Any feat the Super Eagles achieves in the upcoming Nations Cup will first be a major success story for the current Government and a massive boost to anything it is trying to achieve during this administration.
Written by Micheal Obasi
Sports Journalist and Football Affairs Analyst