AFCON: President Bola Tinubu erred in his interaction with the Super Eagles, would have promised them these rewards before the tournament – Reno Omokri

Socio-political analyst Reno Omokri has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s meeting with the Super Eagles of Nigeria following their performance at the recently concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, where they finished second.

The President met with the players in Abuja on Tuesday and announced national awards (Member of the Order of the Niger, MON) for each of them. These honors also included flats in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and parcels of land.

The delegation to the presidency was led by the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, along with officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). However, Omokri suggested that Tinubu should have motivated the players with the promise of bestowing such significant honors before their game against Ivory Coast, believing it would have inspired them to perform better.

“I think President Bola Tinubu erred in his interaction with the Super Eagles

“He has now awarded the Super Eagles with the National Honour of the Member of the Order of the Niger, and gifted them homes and lands in the highly valued FCT. This is good.

“However, the best time to have done this, in my opinion, would have been to promise them these rewards, and more as motivation BEFORE their game with the Ivory Coast.

“There is nobody on earth who would not perform better if they were motivated. The Super Eagles were under-motivated while playing against the host nation. May this be a teachable moment for future tournaments.”