Yesterday, not more than 30 boys and a coaching crew did it. Yes they did it against Zambia and that landed Nigeria a ticket to Russia 2018. Excellent.

I watched the 90 minute tension soaked and breathtaking game on TV. At a point, my focus left the boys to the crowd in the stadium.

As the cameras beamed and zoomed close, I looked for an Hausa man, I could not find one,
Yoruba people, I couldn't locate them,
Igbo kwenu seemed not to have come to watch their son Mikel.

Yes, the match was played in Uyo stadium but even Akwa Ibom people stayed back. I searched through and there was no tribe, no PDP, no APC, all the Christians in Nigeria were in Church and the Muslims in their Mosque. The politicians were busy with their 2019 project.

Again, in the crowd, you could not differentiate between a Northerner and a Southerner. Everyone in that stadium in one accord and unity was looking for one thing and alas it came, GOOOOOAL !!!
The shouts erupted, my neighbourhood exploded, I could see joy and celebration everywhere.

It didn't end there, those Zambia boys were daring and still fighting like wounded lions and then, the final whistle came. And I heard, We Win. I asked who is 'We'?. He said Nigeria. I asked another, and another and they kept answering the same thing. I tried to argue that its not Nigeria that won and I sounded 'weird'. The guy that scored that goal was Igbo or is it Delta?! I'm not too sure. That's the reason I asked who is "We'?

I needed to be sure so I can give due credit to Igbo race or the Deltans. Even up to this morning, I'm still hearing we won, Nigeria is going to world cup next year!

The lesson here is that we can build this Nation if we tie it to a goal not our differences. Those differences were there within that 90 minutes and the whole nation stayed glued to their TV sets looking for That One Goal.
Yes we can, Truly we can!
Let's look for one Goal as a nation now and Pursue It. Forget the differences, we will always have them. Great nations do have their differences but they have become great cos they strategically tied their vision and aspirations to one goal..to Become Great.

God bless Nigeria !!!
God bless one Nigeria !!!

Nagode my broda!!!! Nice write up

When the Nigerian president boldly divided the country into 97% and 5% that is the cause of the wahala

Using the resources of the 5% to cater for the lazy 97% is an injustice

Injustice breeds disunity, violence and crisis even WAR!!

our unity should not be likened with a mere football match.

our resolve should not be limited to 90minutes of a football game

Nigeria is visibly divided and it crystal clear. let us not continue to deceive ourselves that one day we will wake up and everything will be OK.

I am an advocate of one Nigeria but with what is happening right now, I am afraid that Nigeria situation is critical. let us look inwardly and let us try to restructure our federalism.

Do not be deceived, for using the national team managed by a foreigner as standard in the unity of Nigeria. Though I understood your point but maybe we can as well hire foreigner to be our president even as at that will not be possible because that spiritual progeny is missing. Go to their dressing room you 'll see the north/south,the Hausa/Fulani, IBO/Yoruba, ijaw/Hausa. Above all having a fanatic as a president, it only help to point to your origin which is the result of what is playing out. Do we wait to shout goal in the recruitment process as it is playing out today? Where a section do away with it while the rest should wait to shout goal as you said. Be sincere, do you feel more Nigeria than your origin, ask those players they will tell you am more Hausa than Nigeria.

Politicians will not learn anything from this, quota system is the bane of Nigeria's predicament since it places origin against merit and it only end up planting the wrong persons in right places.

Coach Rohr went for the best irrespective of tribe or religion and got the result.