Albert Nelson, better known by his stage name Albert King, was an American left-handed guitarist and singer regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He died of heart attack in 1992.

He sang a popular song, ‘Everybody wants to go to heaven’ with lines like this, ‘Everybody wants to laugh. Ah, but nobody wants to cry. Everybody want to hear the truth

but yet, everybody wants to tell a lie. Everybody wants to go to heaven. But nobody wants to die’.

This is the truth about human beings. They want better things which comes with saying it the way it is, but they are afraid to lead the way. Talk about belling the proverbial cat, it is being brave enough to do something that will be good for a group that you are part of, but is dangerous or difficult.

Everybody seems to agree that we’ve got to bell the cat, but no one wants to step forward and volunteer to lead.

For many years, Nigerian football coaches have been used and dumped by the Nigeria Football Federation, especially to fill the gap whenever the over pampered foreign coaches they hire throw their jobs back at their faces.

Or when they feel done in by them after believing that they were the Messiah they needed to take Nigeria’s football to a level that their Nigerian counterparts could ever get to.

Name them, Festus Onigbinde, late Paul Hamilton, late Shaibu Amodu, late Stephen Keshi, Augustine Eguavoen, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia. All of these coaches have been used as interim coaches whenever the football federation found it difficult in getting foreign coaches to handle the Super Eagles. None of them have ever been given a permanent contract even for a short period with good conditions like their foreign counterparts..

This is because these coaches are quick at accepting anything thrown at them just to answer the name ‘Super Eagles Coach’. They never get to sit with the NFF to discuss the conditions of service.

However, when they are owed salary or dumped unceremoniously, they run to the media to cry about the injustice meted to them by the NFF.

It is however, a surprise that Eguavoen has come out to spell out the conditions under which he will accept to handle the national team on a permanent basis if approached with the offer.

As the technical director of the federation, he was drafted to handle the team when the NFF’s attempt to hire Bruno Labbadia after the exit of Jose Peseiro fell flat.

Eguavoen has already led the Eagles in two AFCON qualifiers, beating Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic in Uyo and drawing with Rwanda in Kigali.

Coming after the disastrous outing of Finidi George in two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, Nigerians who were shocked by the shambolic display of the Super Eagles are beginning to sing Eguavoen’s praises, advocating a permanent deal for him.

The NFF who are still in a quandary over how to get a foreign coach, which is their priority, maybe thinking along that line especially as they may not have the scarce foreign exchange to hire one for now, considering the approach of the 2025 AFCON Finals.

This maybe the reason why Eguavoen, known for not wanting to rock the boat, may have chosen to bell the proverbial cat for the much undermined indigenous coaches for the first time.

While speaking with Brila FM recently, he hinted that he was not ready to jump at the offer of a permanent job without conditions like a long-term contract, patience and support to succeed at the job

Hear him: “If I were to switch permanently, it’s something I’d need to sit down, reflect and think deeply about because it’s not a small job. It will be a tough one. You have to give me long-term contract with patience and clauses in that contract because winning is not guaranteed every week or day. You will give me time to tweak the team till I find what I want.”

He wants to be given a long contract like the foreign coaches get, which will allow him plan a workable strategy to succeed.

He said, “In 2006, I was there for six months, every other time it was two months, two games or three games. Clemens Westerhof was in charge between 1989 and 1994, (Gernot) Rohr was there for six years. They got some

time. I never got straight two years.”
This is a very tough call he is making to the NFF. It’s going to be a choice that may be very difficult for the Ibrahim Gusau-led Board to make, knowing their lack of confidence in indigenous coaches.

If Senegal damned foreign coaches and gave their own, Aliou Cisse the support for nine years and he succeeded before he was shoved aside recenly, then the NFF should for once give it a try with our local coaches too.

It is high time the NFF stopped pandering to criticisms from fans and the media to make decisions on local coaches. They should know that what is good for the goose should equally be good for the gander. The same support, good salary and a good contract the foreign coaches get should be given to indigenous coaches too.

Kudos to Eguavoen for finally stepping up to bell the cat with his tough call on the NFF.

N.B. Next week, I will celebrate an avid reader of this Column and Sunday Vanguard, a great Nigerian, a nonagenarian, boardroom guru and a sports man in his school days, Dr. Michael Olawale Omolayole who turns 96 that day. Congratulations in advance sir.