BY VICTORIA NGOZI IKEANO
 
victoriangozii@gmail.com 08033077519
 
Between the Nigerian masses and our politicians who is missing the World Cup ‘tonic’ most? Let me lay the matter straight away: If Nigeria, specifically the Super Eagles were participating in this year’s World Cup that has just kicked off, it would have been a veritable tonic to lift up the mood of the nation and its peoples. No orthodox medicine in the whole wide world can achieve this; not even assembling the best comedians, local and international to entertain us can either. Also, Nigeria’s involvement would have yielded another immeasurable benefit, something that had largely eluded its citizens  for decades despite all the preaching by leaders at all levels, in all sectors and across board. It is unity amongst Nigerians. The World Cup tonic would have in a twinkle of an eye, decimated our fault lines whether tribal, religious or social.
 
 All Nigerians irrespective of schisms would have miraculously come together, literally joining hands with a unity of purpose, the purpose being applauding the Super Eagles on the world stage. And each time the Nigerian team win a match at this highest level, the cheers, laughter from Maiduguri to Lagos, Sokoto to Port Harcourt, nationwide, would have been palpable, so much so that it would have reverberated across the West African region. Are we not told that laughter, heart-felt laughter (not malicious laughter) is the best medicine? Such is the intoxicating nature of the World Cup tournament (especially when your country is playing) that neutrals, those not interested in football per se, get infected by the high decibel exciting noise from those watching the game that they too, unconsciously catch the fun and drink of the tonic automatically.
 
The World Cup tournament is described as the greatest sporting fiesta in our world. It is held every four years  but in last few decades time ‘flies’ such that no sooner had a World Cup tournament ended than the next one arrives in the eyes of  fans and followers; they often remark, ‘ I can still vividly recollect the last one like it happened only yesterday’. Time of course stands — it is still the same 24 hours in a day, seven days a week, four weeks in a month, average of 30 days a month, 12 months in a year and 365/366 days in a year.  The fastness or slowness of time in our consciousness is connected to the quantity of our experiencing which in turn is related to the quantity of activities within a given period. Thus for example, when we are active/busy, time ‘flies’, there does not seem to be enough of it for us and we wish that there was more than 24 hours in a day. On the contrary, when we are idle, inactive, time drools so slowly, dusk is ‘delayed’, we anxiously wait for it to arrive. It is as if it is taking eternity for sunset to arrive. As it is at the individual level so it is in our larger environment. In the last decades and these days, humanity has been/is experiencing a lot,  there is a deluge of activities, all of them happening in quick succession, such that no sooner had mankind digested a happening that it is hit with another; whether it be climate change (earthquakes, earth tremors, volcanoes, tsunamis, flash floods, etc); endemics/diseases (ebola, lassa fever, etc.,); technological innovations (drones, internet of things, AI, etc;); local and international conflicts resulting in big and small wars all over; unending political tensions; constant economic and social strictures, and so on and so forth. This crowding of activities/happenings that literally keep us on our toes, ‘speed up’ time in our eyes and so we often comment: ‘So, another general election is here already, four years has already passed, so fast?’ ‘So we are celebrating another Christmas/Sallah but the last one, one year ago is still fresh in my memory. How time flies’.  ‘Another world cup has started? But I still recollect all the drama of the last World Cup as if it happened yesterday’.
 
 This year’s World Cup is different in some ways. It is a quadrennial event but this one is kicking off some three and half years after; the last one in Qatar happened in November/December rather than the usual time of June to July. For the first time it is being hosted by three nations (United States, Mexico and Canada). For the first time too number of participating countries/teams has been increased exponentially, from the usual 32 to 48. Consequently Africa’s participation was hiked by 100 percent — from five to ten participants/teams. And this greatly enhanced Nigeria’s (Super Eagles) chances of participating in World Cup 2026. Therefore, it is a shame that despite the odds favouring them the Super Eagles/Nigeria still unexpectedly fluffed their lines leading to the doors of World Cup 2026 being shut against them due to their inability to qualify for this global fiesta. Nigeria’s non participation comes with some disadvantage quantifiable and unquantifiable, financial and non financial.
 
For instance, in the days of jack boot military dictatorship, football was a veritable public relations tool for our military regimes. And they used it to the fullest, both internationally and locally. At the local level it became the greatest weapon to unite Nigerians; such that when the national team was playing against another country, most Nigerians made it a point of duty to watch or follow the match live. Nigerians one and all, put aside all primordial sentiments and fault lines to cheer the players with gusto. All Nigerians become patriotic citizens at such times.  Such international competitive tournaments involving the Eagles – whether Super Eagles, Flying Eagles, Golden Eaglets – also served as some sort of distraction, to take Nigerians’ attention away from the foibles of the military junta. It was the best time to take some hard decisions, when the people have their eyes fixated on something else, away from the leaders and its attendant scrutiny.  Football as does other sports remains a veritable public relations tool. However, because the World Cup commands the highest global audience, it is arguably the best public relations tool.  That still holds true even for a civilian administration.
 
 All said and done, Nigeria is not among the 48 select countries whose flag is fluttering high in US/Mexico/Canada during the  over one month-long duration of this year’s World Cup tournament. Nigeria, the giant of Africa, the most populous country in the continent with the largest economy in Africa, is not amongst the ten nations that are representing our continent of 52 nations. This is a big disappointment for football crazy Nigerians. And it has somehow, lowered the average Nigeria’s interest in this World Cup event. Only die-hard football fans would generally be watching the games live with some enthusiasm. The majority of Nigerians would now be focusing majorly on their pressing needs, how to keep body and soul together, how to navigate through these hard times. The World Cup ‘tonic’ would have helped us to forget this, would have lifted our mood, even if only temporarily.  Alas, the Super Eagles failed us and our nation.