THE Africa Cup of Nations began on Saturday without Nigeria – the defending champion. Some Nigerians consider Nigeria’s absence from the championship painful.  Nigerians would watch from the sidelines, following the inability of the Eagles to qualify, something some rate as a tragedy.

Painful as it may be, the Nations Cup disappointment is a deserved reward for the serial low performances of the Eagles after their 2013 surprise victory in South Africa. Nigerians also need to concentrate on the elections, they are more important than football, and their outcomes would play a bigger role in our lives than whatever would have happened in Equatorial Guinea.

Brazil’s biggest cities were awash with riots over the billions of Dollars the country was pouring into preparations for the 2014 World Cup, the first in Brazil in 60 years. Hungry, unemployed youth were on the streets – they thought their future was more important than the FIFA Confederation Cup, the 2014 World Cup, and the Olympic Games in 2016.

Unaddressed poverty and misdirected priorities were central issues to the protests.  “If your kid gets sick, take him to the stadium,” said a banner outside the Maracana Stadium, Brazil’s football shrine, in reference to the priority given to stadium construction over health, education and jobs. Who would have thought Brazilians would protest against football?

Turkey was another protest point. Its fanatical football supporters, many of them in the crowds that have been jamming streets of Istanbul for over three weeks, created headaches for FIFA as the 2013 FIFA U-21 competition was about to begin. Turks were incensed over a government decision to convert a public park to a mall. They resisted every move to force them off the streets of Istanbul.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan who remained defiant, said, “Nobody can intimidate us. We don’t take orders from anybody except God.” The recourse to the Almighty, when leaders refuse to listen to their people saw regime changes in Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

In Brazil, they were questioning appropriation of national resources, particularly the uncontrolled costs of constructing the stadia for major international sports events. In both cases the people wanted a say in how they were governed – they demanded it.

Anti-people policies, whether in Brazil, Turkey or elsewhere, could endanger the world as visitors to Brazil and Turkey found out.

Nigerians are about to make decisions that would affect their future. They need to interrogate how Nigerian resources have been used and the promises they get from those who propagate change.

These decisions require contemplation away from the distractions that Nigeria’s participation at the Nations Cup would have provided. They are more important than whatever football would offer.