By

Ezindu Okay-Lawrence 

The valiant Super Falcons of Nigeria returned to the country after the heroic tournament they had at the recently concluded FIFA Women World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 
The return of these ladies, who made their country so proud, was supposed to be a glorious moment, and football / sports lovers were excitedly waiting for information from the national football house the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) so as the troop out to the Airport to welcome our amazing daughters in style. Yet it was quietly carried out without expected fanfare and aplomb to the amazement of football lovers around the country and beyond by the abysmal management of the NFF.

It might not be an exaggeration to say they were snuck in. This makes me wonder what exactly calls for grand adulation in this country if not political criminality? Something is fundamentally wrong with our system.

The news is littering all over with pictures of these ladies even meeting with the wife of the president in dismally scanty numbers: a meeting that should have been the highlight of the day, being a breaking and trending news was instead covertly arranged with many members of the team missing in the said gathering.

As a football stakeholder and one with a voice, I must say that the NFF woefully failed the nation and of course the ladies in the Super Falcons World Cup team and their technical bench in particular.

We saw many other countries *(such as Republic of Ireland, )* whose teams did not even make it out of the group stage hosted huge welcome gatherings and parties for their female teams, and even other African nations were able to celebrate their daughters' efforts. 

Unfortunately, Nigeria, fielding the best among the african teams both in performance at the female world cup and and in media recognition both from FIFA and regular sports media coverages were diminished by the football administration of their own country. This is sad, really sad.

In a country where political dishonorable-honorables are awarded national awards and honors and true heroes are all but neglected, one begins to wonder what motivation the younger generation and of course aspiring youngsters look up to, to spur them to dare to dream.

I believe this is the reason we have many professional sportsmen and woman of Nigerian descent opting to represent other countries of the world, countries which see value in appreciating and celebrating those who have made the country proud. 

If the administrators of football in this country continue to have selfish personalities who barely know what ought to be done and when to do it, and if we continue to allow square pegs in round holes in the administration of sports in Nigeria, I'm sure that in no time it will be herculean to persuade persons of value to become and remain part of our national team set ups both in football and athletics.

I therefore call on well meaning people in the sporting world to lend their voices and speak up against the mediocrity, maladministration and failures of those who are saddled with such vital leadership responsibilities.

We can actually do better if we have the right people in right positions. Meritocracy should be the standard, not using administrative offices as settlements for political support and alignment. We may by this sit back and watch the game we so love destroyed by those who actually do not mean well or rather are just after their pockets and personal gains.

Let us think twice... Because a stitch in time saves nine.