How war-torn Sudan, a country in the grip of two power-hungry generals, thrashed Nigeria 4-0 in the ongoing African Nations Championship (CHAN) underlines the deeper challenges that have stymied the development of Africa’s most populous country.

 Just as Nigeria is blessed with football talent, boasting arguably the highest number of professional footballers from the continent playing across the globe, it is also richly endowed with natural and human resources that should have placed it firmly at the top of Africa’s development ladder.

 However, just as Nigerians have shrugged off the scandal of a war-torn nation humiliating the so-called “Giant of Africa” in CHAN, we have also continued to overlook the greater scandal of poor governance that has turned Nigeria into an object of ridicule.

 Nigeria’s poor outing in the ongoing CHAN is not accidental. Indeed, the country has never won the tournament since its introduction in 2009 as a competition exclusively for home-based players. Nigeria’s best performance came in 2018, when the home-based Eagles reached the final for the first time but were humiliated 4-0 by Morocco. Since then, Nigeria failed to qualify for the championship until this year’s disastrous return.

 In fact, since 2009, Nigeria has failed to qualify on three occasions — 2009, 2020, and 2023.

 One major reason for Nigeria’s poor record is the “Japa syndrome.” While it is common for African players to dream of moving abroad, the zeal is particularly intense among Nigerian footballers. Poor organisation of the domestic league and the greed of football administrators have further discouraged players from seeing value in staying home to build glory.

 Indeed, your correspondent gathered that Nigeria’s poor showing in this year’s CHAN was largely because most of the footballers who secured qualification last year have since left to play outside the continent. The hurried infusion of new, inexperienced players who had not played much together bred disharmony within the team.

 This “Japa syndrome” in football mirrors the wider malaise in Nigeria’s governance ecosystem. In the medical profession, for instance, the majority of newly qualified doctors do not look forward to practising in Nigeria.

 A 2025 study surveying 2,152 medical and nursing students (1,254 medical students) found that 72.9% had no interest in practising in Nigeria after qualification, while 32.7% said they had no intention of ever returning. Similarly, a 2019 survey among doctors at the Nigerian Medical Association’s Annual Delegates Meeting revealed that about 73% would seize the opportunity to work abroad if given the chance.

This brain drain explains why efforts to  inspire confidence in the health system still fails. Nigerian leaders, including presidents, continue to patronise foreign hospitals at huge cost to the nation.

 It is telling that, days before her husband left office, Mrs. Aisha Buhari promised that future presidents and Nigerian leaders would no longer need to go abroad for medical care, citing the installation of new facilities at the State House Clinic. Yet, barely two years later, her husband died in a London hospital that reportedly charges £3,000 per day for only bed space. Even more embarrassing, another former Nigerian leader was reportedly receiving treatment at the same clinic at the time.

 Your correspondent understands that one of the machines installed at the State House Clinic by the Buhari administration — a multi-billion-naira cardiovascular Cathlab used for heart procedures — has not been used since installation. The only similar machine in Abuja, located at the NNPC Clinic, is rarely used because the contracted operator is based in Lagos.

 Thus, Sudan’s spanking of Nigeria at CHAN starkly underlines the country’s chronic failure to maximise its potential. Unlike the home-based Eagles, Nigeria’s main national team, which comprises professionals from foreign leagues, performs better because players draw on the advanced capacities of their foreign bases. This also explains why Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, the D’Tigress, largely made up of players based abroad, has been able to dominate continental rivals despite minimal government support.

 In sports, medicine, and virtually every sector, the government’s failure to put its act together is reflected in Nigeria’s national malaise. The fact that a war-torn country humiliated Nigeria in CHAN should have triggered sober reflection. But, pitiably, no one seems to care, and without introspection, there can be no healing.