Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engineer Musa Kida, has saluted the Super Eagles for their impressive run at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, urging Nigerians at home and abroad to stand firmly behind the team ahead of their third-place clash against Egypt.
Kida, who is also President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), praised the national team’s resilience and attacking flair despite their semi-final defeat to tournament hosts Morocco, describing Nigeria’s campaign as one of courage, character and renewed belief.
In a letter addressed to the players, Kida commended the Super Eagles for rising to the occasion against Africa’s highest-ranked side and for silencing critics who doubted the team following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We entered this tournament under immense pressure and emerged as the only team to win all five matches in regulation time before the semi-final,” he said. “We scored fourteen goals—the highest in the competition. Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams and Alex Iwobi formed an attacking quartet that terrorised defences across Morocco.”
He also lauded the team’s defensive solidity, singling out goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali for his commanding presence, while praising defenders Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi for their leadership and commitment.
For Kida, Nigeria’s AFCON journey was a statement of intent. He noted that the Eagles’ semi-final loss came in an atmosphere where “it was almost the whole continent versus Nigeria,” underscoring the scale of the challenge faced by the team.
Beyond the tournament, Kida outlined his broader vision to strengthen ties between Nigeria’s corporate sector and sports development. He revealed that, in collaboration with the National Institute for Sports (NIS), National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), NNPCL is positioned to drive people-focused sports initiatives and strategic partnerships.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu honoured me with the appointment as Chairman of NNPCL in April 2025, I saw it as an opportunity to expand the bridge between Nigeria’s corporate sector and our sports development ecosystem,” he said. “At NNPCL, we believe investing in Nigerian sports is not philanthropy; it is nation-building, youth empowerment and economic development.”
Drawing from his experience in basketball administration, Kida cited the achievements of Nigeria’s national teams under his leadership as evidence of what sustained investment can deliver. D’Tigress, he noted, have won five consecutive AfroBasket titles and became the first African women’s team to reach the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while D’Tigers made history with a landmark victory over Team USA in 2021.
“These achievements did not happen by accident,” he said. “They came from consistent investment in player development, coaching infrastructure and administrative excellence.”
Turning attention back to football, Kida urged Nigerians to throw their full support behind the Super Eagles in Thursday’s third-place match against Egypt, describing a bronze medal as a worthy reward for the team’s efforts.
“I call every Nigerian to rally behind our team once more,” he said. “Let us fill our homes, our viewing centres and our hearts with the green-white-green. Let us show our players that, win or lose, Nigeria stands with them.”
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