By KATE OBODO

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Alloy Agu has urged the Nigeria Football Federation,NFF to do its best and  ensure the country’s football is  at its best again.

The former goalke-eper’s coach of Enyimba Football Club was sad over  Nigeria’s  two-step drop on the FIFA world ranking made public during the week from 43 to 45, despite pulling a draw and a win against Botswana and Zambia  respectively in the last quarter of  2011 moved from.

According to Agu:“Nigerians expectation is to be among the top five or 10 in the  World, as it was in the past. And again, not getting it right especially in our performances last year  brought about the poor ranking. Despite that Nigeria needs to get back to where she belongs, the top 10. We have  been there.”

Continuing he said: “Already something is being done. Talking about the building process of the home-based players, Stephen Keshi alongside his assistants are doing a lot of good work to make sure things work well, by putting the home Eagles together. I think if we can get it right  with our local players, put them together and make them ready for subsequent games, things will normalize.

“I think this was what happened in the past, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 when  Nigeria was rated high in the world. Really, it takes a lot of work from the grass-roots, from the league, professional players and the home-based players. If all these people are joining force to give Nigeria the best, I believe things will come to normal.

“Honestly, It is terrible that we will not be playing in the 2012 Nations Cup. For soccer loving Nigeria, it is a disaster, especially for the first time in 25years. For me, I am sad about the whole situation.

But then, there is nothing we can do. We just have to make sure that in the next Nations Cup in 2013, we are there,” he said.

On the teams he feels will make it  to the final of the 2012 Nations Cup, Agu said, “ I do not want to tip any team, but what I can say to you  is that there are no minnows in football again. It does not matter if it is a big  or small country, it is not about the big names in the competition but those who are determined on their goal will make it to the end. That is how I see it. Therefore, there are going to be  surprises in the competition but then it is those who are focused that will wear the crown and rule Africa,” he concluded.