For those who believe football in Nigeria is solely in the domain of “stake holders” then this is worth reading.

The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Elder Sam Ikon is “devastated” that the Eagles lost to Sudan and put their Nations Cup qualification in jeopardy. It was not all sadness though, as he was all smiles when the issue of the brand new stadium in Uyo came for discussion.

Speaking at Uyo on Sunday as Guest of Honour for the Akwa United –Abia Warriors League match, Hon Ikon wondered whether the Eagles knew the psychological trauma they have subjected Nigerians to.

As with majority of Nigerians, he blamed the lack luster performance sorely on the doorstep of the coach who he says “ seems to have come to the end of the road

“Keshi has done his best. We cannot take it away from him. He has delivered and he should also know when to bow when the applause is loudest…..”

Does he have any solution in place? “Yes” he says. “A Westerhof is needed. Someone who does not have to have a super name, but who is ready to work.

“ Westerhof knew his limitations and worked on them. He brought in a Bonfrere Jo who did most of the technical work and he concentrated in managing the team.

“Managing players is a difficult task, yet Westerhoff found a way around it, by making the players feel like a family and ready to die for him”

He believes the Eagles can still qualify for the the Nations Cup but confesses that qualification has become very difficult.

“The aura and psyche around the team carries a lot of negative vibes and until the Technical crew is changed we may not go far” He offered.

Hon Ikom also had a lot of positives for the league, claiming that the standard of the match between Akwa United and Abia Warriors was unbelievably high.

“I cannot wait to see Akwa United play on the turf of our brand new stadium. A match like this would have kept spectators on their seats throughout the 90 minutes duration”

He was all praise for Governor Godswill Akpabio for the legacy of a world class stadium which he will bequeath to the youth of Akwa Ibom and Nigeria.

“ We see things like this when we go out. now it is in our backyard, our domain and we are very pleased with our Governor for this” he said.