LESSONS FROM FALCONS’ MISSION X
Nick Dazang
The odds were stacked hugely against them. They were down by 2-0 in the first half of the finals at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. They had a niggardly crowd to support or cheer them plus twenty intrepid content creators. They were allegedly not paid their match bonuses.
They were saddled with Justine Madugu, who has not had head coach experience in international football before assuming that position in September last year. Worse, Madugu himself was up against such storied and formidable coaches as Jorge Vilda, who is now in charge of Atlas Lionesses. Vilda was coach of the star-studded and highly successful Spanish football team.
In spite of these mountain of myriad challenges, the SUPER FALCONS, who were down by 2-0, made a stunning comeback in the second half of the finals and triumphed. They trounced their Moroccan hosts by 3-2 and won the prestigious Women’s African Cup(WAFCON) title for the tenth time.
The feat of the SUPER FALCONS, though not at par, is reminiscent of the pyrotechnic performance of the EAGLES at the 1996 Summer Olympics at Atlanta, United States. At that Olympics, Nigeria prevailed on seeded, formidable and established teams such as Brazil and Argentina to earn the gold medal.
Though hitherto laughed to scorn as “disjointed” and “uninspiring”, at the group stage of WAFCON, the SUPER FALCONS were undeterred. They saw their valiant efforts as a onerous mission to secure a tenth title, hence their couching and framing their struggle as “MISSION X”. A former Captain of the SUPER FALCONS, Desire Oparanozie, succinctly captures the disposition of the team:”One thing that continues to motivate them is that they are hungry for success. They went to win, they have a strong mentality, and they want to keep on dominating African football. It’s the driver for the performance put up each time they are in the final”.
Thus imbued and invested with a winning mindset, the SUPER FALCONS, urged on by their coach, who refused to be overwhelmed, seized victory from the jaws of imminent defeat. They prevailed. And in prevailing, they rekindled the Nigerian gung-ho, can-do-spirit. They gave us reason to hope and to believe in ourselves at a time of deep despair. And by their stunning victory, they have certainly inspired their female gender and put it on a pedestal to excel.
The questions that must arise, from the SUPER FALCONS’s superlative performance are: How many of our leaders are hungry for success and making a positive difference in the lives of Nigerians? How many of our leaders bring such single-minded determination to succeed to their tasks? Why are our leaders, instead of putting Nigeria upfront and as undisputed leader of Africa, content with our keeping the rear? How do we explain that some fifteen years ago, Nigeria led the continent by way of Gross Domestic Product(GDP), only to rank fourth in its recent economic rebasing?
Beyond these questions, the victory of the SUPER FALCONS, for the tenth time, is not a fluke or happenstance. But it instructs poignantly. Our SUPER EAGLES, by virtue of their being he-macho men, are supposed to inspire and galvanize the SUPER FALCONS. At the least, they ought to maintain or showcase a similar wining streak. Alas, theirs has been, at the most, lackluster and inconsistent. This tells us that there is a certain focus and sense of concentration specially given unto the female gender.
As we bask in the glow of the resounding success of the SUPER FALCONS, we cannot afford not to beam our searchlight on the sports and public arenas. Most of the laurels being won, either in continental or world competitions, are by the female gender or persons with disability. The medals being won, of recent in the Olympics, were by Special Persons. This should instruct us, in the boldest relief, of their focus and determination to succeed. And these propensities should persuade us that they have a lot to bring to the table of national development.
They should also teach us that there are certain talents and perspectives that can only be offered or supplied by the female gender or Special Persons. Unfortunately, and to our undoing, we thrive by either excluding them outright or by driving them to the margins. Though the female gender represents nearly half of Nigeria’s population, they are not only marginalized, when they are recognized at all, they are only given fringe or token positions. The larger implication is that Nigeria is operating at half of its installed capacity.
Nigerians have every reason to rejoice and to luxuriate in the victory of the SUPER FALCONS. Their victory is good tidings at a time of economic hardship, hunger, heightened insecurity, insurgency and genocide. But we must not lose sight of the meaning of this victory. Inclusion, of the female gender and Special Persons, is the way to go. They must be given the opportunity to express themselves and to flower.
If we adroitly harness and deploy the genius of each member of the Nigerian family, there will be no limit to what we can achieve.
To accomplish this calls for purposeful, inclusive, patriotic, focused and self-less leadership.
