HYPOCRISY is already in full display as some self-promoting Nigerians have begun buying relevance with the Nations Cup in Angola. If they succeed, being a World Cup year too, they would have made names for themselves as patriots.

The Nations Cup kicked off yesterday, but the Eagles would taste action against Egypt tomorrow, in a testy game that would be defining. The two teams are expected to be top finishers in the group, and Egypt, Africa’s most successful team at the Nations Cup is also the defending champion.

Nigerians, the ordinary ones, bear the pains and promises of the Eagles with a patriotic dignity that is lost in the devouring instincts of a group of self-serving Nigerians whose only interest is in exploring national assets for their base motives.

Everyone has become a supporter of the Eagles now that it seems that the Nations Cup would assume some prominence over our country’s lethargic politics. They would descend on the Eagles with the furious attitude of ravaged lions. For some it is the money, others are considering how they can use any link to the Eagles for politics in 2011.

Nothing would have been wrong in these except that most of these characters are so disruptive of Nigerian sports and their ad hoc involvement indicates their abuses of their access to national assets like the Eagles. What do they do for sports until big events like the Nations Cup? Even States where governments do not have sports programme would send delegations to Angola at great costs to the national purse.

State Governors, Sports Commissioners, Sports Committees of the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, and the Local Government Legislative Assemblies would be in Angola to learn first hand how to administer sports.

The large Nigerian delegations in Angola would be a major distraction for the Eagles, but they are getting used to the practice. It gets worse at each occasion. Just imagine that the average size of a legislative committee is 12 people and they each head to the event? If we multiply this by 36 States, add two Committees of the National Assembly, and a host of our ambitious 774 local government councils, Angola would be swarming with Nigerians, who have nothing to do there. What really do they even do at home?

Governors would land with large delegations to underscore the importance of Governors. Whatever the interests, there are no justifications for these wastes, which we think indicate how much we love the Eagles.

The hypocrisy of it all is startling. Abuja houses promised the Eagles that won the Nations Cup in 1994 – 16 years ago – remain promises. Our Eagles-loving politicians, who are racing to Angola, have no interests in addressing this anomaly.

In the same way there are no funds to prepare for the Commonwealth Games in October.
We really love the Super Eagles, and sports.