In 2015, I was privileged to visit Arsenal’s training ground in London — a massive facility built on 48 hectares of land. As we walked through the building toward the club’s reception area, I noticed pictures lining the staircase. Among them was Nigeria’s own Kanu Nwankwo, a true legend who had left his mark on the club.

I took that moment to ask Arsenal’s then-manager, Arsène Wenger, a heartfelt question:
“When will Arsenal return to Nigeria to discover the next Kanu Nwankwo — young talents waiting to be exposed to the world?”

Before Wenger could respond, a senior official from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) interrupted.
He said, “That era is over. It is we who now provide players to Nigeria. Arsenal doesn’t need to come here anymore.”

I was stunned — and I saw the disappointment on Wenger’s face too.

Right then, it became clear to me: Nigerian football was heading in the wrong direction.

Not long after, we began importing U17 players from abroad — not just one or two, but entire squads. Instead of building from within, we looked outside. That habit soon filtered into the senior national team. The core of Nigerian football — built on local passion and talent — began to crumble.

Our league was bastardized. Talented players no longer saw it as a platform. They were shipped off to obscure leagues through football academies and later returned as “foreign-based” players — many with little or no understanding of African football’s unique demands.

The structures that once produced world-class players were dismantled. What replaced them lacked direction, professionalism, and vision. And today, we are reaping the consequences.

We are a country that has won the FIFA U-17 World Cup five times, yet we have never lifted the U-20 trophy. We’ve never reached a senior World Cup quarter-final. Today, countries we once dominated now stare us in the face — and often beat.
I’ll never forget when Central African Republic came to Nigeria and defeated us in a World Cup qualifier — their first-ever away win in history. That moment was symbolic. If such a result could happen in Lagos, our symbolic football fortress, then our identity as the “Giant of Africa” was truly slipping away.

Recently, Nigeria failed to qualify for the U17 World Cup — not even making it out of West Africa Zone B, a group of just six nations. Our U20 team stumbled through qualifiers and, even when they scraped into the World Cup, were thoroughly outclassed. They returned to Nigeria quietly — no headlines, no heroes.

Even the Super Eagles have struggled. They failed to qualify ahead of nations like Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin Republic, and South Africa. Benin, a country we had beaten in 11 of our 12 previous meetings, defeated us in a World Cup qualifier for the first time. Zimbabwe and Lesotho came to Nigeria and got draws — results that would have been unthinkable in past decades.

Our fans were left heartbroken, stressed, and disillusioned. Some reports even linked medical emergencies and deaths to the heartbreak of watching the team struggle. The players’ commitment was rightly questioned. Many believed their lackluster performances were due to not playing in front of Nigerian fans. Others argued they simply valued club over country.

The late Stephen Keshi, a former captain and coach of the Super Eagles, once told me:
“No serious footballing nation builds its team entirely from abroad. There must be local content.”

But how can we build from the local level when our league is bleeding? Every year, promising players are shipped off abroad — not to top-tier leagues, but to minor, obscure clubs, seeking financial stability because our economy offers none.

Football doesn’t thrive in a vacuum. In countries with stable economies, players are encouraged to stay and develop locally. In Nigeria, where the Naira continues to plummet, even a modest salary abroad becomes a fortune.

In Eritrea, for example, a $1,000 monthly salary may not seem like much — but when compared to earnings here, it becomes a game-changer. How can we retain talents when the local economy drives them out?

To truly rebuild football in Nigeria, we must first rebuild the economy.

Beyond the economy, several other issues have deep roots:

1. Poor Governance and Corruption
    •    Mismanagement of funds
    •    Nepotism in player and staff selection
    •    Lack of transparency in decision-making by the NFF

2. Inadequate Infrastructure
    •    Only one internationally approved stadium in the entire country
    •    Poor training facilities and substandard pitches

3. Neglected Youth Development
    •    No structured grassroots systems or academies
    •    Poor integration of school sports with national talent pathways

4. Declining League Standards
    •    Poor administration of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)
    •    Players owed salaries; contracts often violated
    •    Little to no TV coverage or media promotion
    •    Sparse sponsorship and commercial investment

5. Inconsistent Coaching Policies
    •    Constant sackings and rehiring disrupt progress
    •    Over-reliance on foreign coaches stunts growth of local talent

6. Security and Political Instability
    •    Stadium violence and political interference drive fans and investment away

7. Lack of Data and Technology
    •    No modern scouting or analytics systems
    •    Talented players often overlooked due to poor talent identification tools

8. Fan Apathy and Loss of Trust
    •    Disillusioned fans now follow European clubs
    •    Poor matchday experiences and repeated failures kill hope

Nigerian football has the talent. What it lacks is structure, sincerity, and leadership.
To reclaim our rightful place in world football, we must:
    •    Fix the economy to reduce player flight
    •    Rebuild domestic structures from grassroots to professional leagues
    •    Clean up governance within the NFF
    •    Invest in infrastructure, data, and technology
    •    Bring the fans back by earning their trust

We’ve risen before. We can rise again. But only if we return to honest work, competent leadership, and a clear vision for the future.