Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, on Tuesday said that the Super Eagles of Nigeria had prepared well to excel in Russia 2018 World Cup.
Dalung, represented by Esther Aluko, a ministry official, expressed the optimism at a seminar organised by the Sun Newspaper with theme: “Super Eagles May Excel in Russia and Beyond” at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
He said that with the required fan base and adequate preparation of the players, Nigeria would perform beyond expectation.
He said: “The Super Eagles have the opportunity to excel because they have the requisite fan base.
“The essence of this seminar is basically to sensitize Nigerians and brainstorm on how to perform better than in their previous outings.”
According to Dalung, football is the major unifying factor in any country because it has no language.
He said: “Beyond being the key unifying factors in the world, football has the potentials to promote national integration and socio-cultural values in Nigeria.”
The minister commended Sun Newspaper management for organising the seminar, saying it was important and timely.
Earlier, Amaju Pinnick, President of Nigeria the Football Federation, said that Nigeria’s qualification to Russia 2018 World Cup was symbolic and historic.
Pinnick said: “I say this because the journey was tough and it came at a time when most big names in football failed to qualify.
“I want to say that Nigeria will not just have prominent presence but can win the world cup because we have the potentials to do so.”
The NFF boss disclosed that Nigeria’s jersey was rated number one in the world.
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