Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s Home-based Eagles will kickoff their quest to be part of the ‘dollar rains’ that the country’s athletes  have been enjoying under the President Bola Tinubu’s Presidency, when they take on defending champions Senegal in the opening match of Group B of the 8th African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Zanzibar.

Super Falcons and Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress are the two beneficiaries of the largesse from the President following their successes at the delayed 2024 WAFCON in Morocco and the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship just concluded in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday.

Both teams were showered with National Honours, dollars and houses.

The Home-based Eagles have never won the tournament since it was introduced 16 years ago by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The best Nigeria have ever attained is as runners-up in the 2018 edition they lost to Morocco in the final.

Before then, the Late Stephen Keshi won a bronze at the 2014 edition hosted by South Africa.

This is the country’s history that this 2025 generation will want to surpass with Franco-Malian Eric Sekou Chelle in charge of the team.

Of course, the team will need to, first, qualify from the group also having Congo and Sudan in addition to the Cup Holder Senegal.

Already, Chelle has spoken of belief and self-confidence among his 23-man squad, who spent three weeks at a training camp in Ikenne-Remo and another 10 days in Zanzibar (to which was embedded two drawn matches against the Zanzibar National Team).

Chelle still has goalkeeper Ozoemena Ani, defenders Sodiq Ismaila and Junior Nduka, midfielder Alex Oyowah and forwards Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi – who were in the squad that turned back Ghana’s Black Galaxies 3-0 on aggregate in the qualifiers. 

There are also excellent additions like Steven Mayo and Leonard Ngenge in the defence, Adedayo Olamilekan, Hadi Haruna and Michael Tochukwu in the midfield, and Temitope Vincent, Shola Adelani and Godwin Obaje in the attack.

At the 15,000-capacity Amaan Stadium this evening (6pm), Chelle will go for the maximum points to underscore Nigeria’s ambition, as well as to diminish anxiety ahead of the clashes with Sudan and Congo.  

This is one game tough to call.

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