By Prof Emmanuel Ojeme
ON Tuesday 12th of December, 2023, the leaders of African Football (CAF) gathered in Marakech, Morocco, along with a galaxy of African football stars. The singular purpose of this gathering was to announce the 2023 winners of African Football honours, such as (1) African footballer of the year, male and female (2) African best goalkeeper, male and female etc. it was on this occasion that the duo of Assisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen emerged as African footballers of the year for the male and female categories. Assisat Oshoala in particular is reputed to have won this award for the 6th time in a roll.
While the Napoli FC star, Victor Osimhen, won the iconic title of African footballer of the year 2023. These awards which resonated all over the world, particularly in Africa and Nigeria, are very significant for Nigeria’s football development. This article explores the meaning and significance of these awards.
Winning the African footballer of the year for the 6th time running consecutively, Assisat Oshoala has brought honour to herself and the women’s football development in Nigeria. She is quite elegant in her consistency and performance. It also means that this energetic and flamboyant young lady is indeed a role model in personal discipline, gamefulness and professionalism in football. In the same vein, the new African football king, Victor Osimhen, who has amended his injury prone style of play that has necessitated the wearing of protective facial brace, has brought honour to the ailing National Football of Super Eagles of Nigeria.
Osimhen has oxygenated Nigerian football and demonstrated the possibilities of the Nigerian dream of greatness and indeed what it means to be the giant of Africa. Being the giant of Africa means the demonstration of illuminous abilities and exemplary performance where it matters. Thank you, Victor Osimhen for showing once again, that Nigeria can achieve excellence in leadership and development both on the sports field and national development.
In another perspective, the awards of Assisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen both of whom are Europe based professional footballers should signal to Nigerian football management and leadership to make introspective review of its operations. Why are the African footballers of the year award for male and female categories be products of European clubs? What is Europe doing in the organisation and management of its football that Africa and nay Nigeria is not doing. It is time to wake up and embark on the necessary reforms in order to decolonize the European dominance of African and Nigerian football. It is the expectation of this writer and infact, all forward looking citizens that the leadership of Nigerian football, nay Africa should reengineer its operational procedures, programmes and practices as well as organisational and management effectiveness to lift its football to global standards. If European clubs are able to reconstruct and refine African football talents to make them win the best footballer awards, both in Africa and Europe it also means that this honours can be won by our local brands operating in our indigenous leagues without going to Europe. This must be the vision and drive of our strategies.
Furthermore, the double African numero uno honours of Assisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen have demonstrated how excellence can be achieved not only in sports but also in other sectors of development. For Nigeria to prosper and fully actualize its dreams of greatness, it is imperative to emulate the sports model which means;
1. Providing an enabling environment in all organisations working for development of society.
2. Recruiting talented, knowledgeable and competent persons irrespective of their ethnic and religious leanings to pilot the affairs of the organisation
3. Distilling standard operational procedures and holding operators accountable.
In the world of sports, excellence is not merely awarded or ascribed but achieved through measuring upto required performance standards. It is not awarded. Hence, Nigeria must do the right things for it to actualize the possibilities of its dreams of greatness.
These are the key lessons of Assisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen. And to the awardees, it should be noted that to whom much is given, much is expected. Hard and focused work as well as personal discipline would sustain your lofty heights of African greatness as you aim at becoming global icons. Let’s go, it is doable.
