There is no gainsaying that the youths of Nigeria are the major force behind the positive image Nigeria has been receiving in the last 20 years. Musicians, actors, sports figures, and professionals from different fields have been achieving feats that have brought a positive image to Nigeria globally. In fact, while the Nigerian older generation has been bringing a bad image to the country through poor leadership, corruption, and ethno-religious crises, the youths have been burnishing the image of the country globally in different sectors.
In sports, for example, Nigeria began to excel internationally in the 1950s, especially when Emmanuel Ifeajuna won the gold in high jump at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada, thereby becoming the first Black African to win a gold medal at an international sports event. Nigeria’s performance peak era in sports arrived in the 1980s and 1990s when, for the first time, she won the African Cup of Nations, the U-17 World Cup, qualified for her first FIFA World Cup, won a gold medal at the Olympics, and well as the Olympic gold medal in football.
But in recent years, there has been a dip in Nigeria’s performance in sports. For a country that used to win gold medals at the Olympics and easily qualify for the Nations Cup and the World Cup in football, it is now a struggle for Nigeria to win a bronze medal at the Olympics or even qualify for the World Cup (men). Comfortingly, the women still periodically bring laurels and happiness to millions of Nigerians. In 2022, Tobi Amusan broke the world record in the 100-metre hurdles.
Most recently, while the Nigerian male football team is not sure of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, just like it failed to qualify for the last one, the female football team, the Super Falcons, just won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for a record 10th time. And they did it in style by coming back from a two-goal deficit in the second half to defeat the hosts, Morocco, in a sizzling final. It was obvious that it was not luck that was working for the Super Falcons. Rather, it was the spirit of resilience, determination and patriotism.
This past weekend, the female basketball team, D’Tigress, replicated that against the Senegalese team in the semi-final by coming from behind a few minutes before the end of the game to win. The next day, they played Mali in the final and defeated them to win the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket cup for the fifth consecutive time.
The implication is that for two weekends back-to-back, two Nigerian female teams have won African championships. This has given Nigerians something to cheer about, especially at a time of political and economic downturn. These two victories also came at a time when virtually all African countries were wishing Nigeria to lose, to have a reason to ridicule us.
It should be noted that the individual and group successes in sports recorded by the women are not primarily a result of something special that the country has done for them. Everything that has a connection with the government has been degenerating. Therefore, it is not surprising that the sports sector has also been affected. The successes recorded by the women came from the spirit of determination and dedication displayed by the women, which differs from what the men display when they are called to serve.
If we bring this to other areas of our national life, we will also see women performing extraordinarily. For example, in recent years, some Nigerian banks have appointed women as their chief executive officers. Some of the banks that have appointed female CEOs include Unity Bank, Union Bank, Zenith Bank, and Fidelity Bank. This was a bold move and an endorsement of the female gender by the banks. Banks are known to be conservative. They are known to be careful about taking revolutionary decisions because of their impact on the public perception of the banks, given that banks don’t sell any tangible products. They only have their image to sell. And once there is a doubt about that image, it will affect the share price of such banks as well as the trust of depositors.
Sadly, Nigeria still has not seen the need to harness the skills of women in its leadership crisis. In the past 25 years, Nigeria experienced its best economic years when Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first female minister of finance and the coordinator of the economy. It was during her era in 2006 that Nigeria paid off its debt to the Paris Club and had a lot in its foreign reserves. Nigeria’s economy also had a turnaround, which made Nigerians start buying new cars and electronics, as well as other new items, in contrast to the decades of buying second-hand products. Also, the credit should not go only to Okonjo-Iweala but should also go to the president, then Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The impact of Okonjo-Iweala is unmistakable and undeniable.
Similarly, the best years of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control were during the era of Dr Dora Akunyili. Nigerians and the international community began to trust medicine produced in Nigeria or imported into Nigeria. She was very firm on all those who were manufacturing fake drugs and substandard drugs. They saw her as a threat to their source of livelihood. An attempt was made on her life. Luckily for her, the bullet hit her scarf and not her life. She did not relent.
Women can turn around Nigeria if given the opportunity. Many Nigerians still don’t realise the capacity of women to change the fortunes of Nigeria. Many people still assume that women should play second fiddle in all national affairs. But women are not wired the way men are. The maternal instinct gives women an edge in planning better for the future, less greed and more commitment to their duties and responsibilities.
Some people may argue that there are women who were involved in corruption and the like in Nigeria. But it also depends on the selection process. One can see that all the women who had remarkable records under Obasanjo were usually the best in their class, and all the places where they worked. Such people don’t toy with the image and their names, which took them decades to build. They don’t want to be associated with any form of financial scandal. They are not intimidated by the men around them. They are not desperate to secure or keep a political position.
Therefore, they are usually not willing to compromise their standards. For example, Okonjo-Iweala was one of three candidates specifically asked to join their cabinet. Unlike most Nigerians who usually lobby to be made ministers, she was the one giving conditions of how she would serve. When she felt that things were not moving the way she wanted, she resigned.
People like that are never desperate to soil their hands while in office. There are many women with such sterling backgrounds that Nigeria can attract into positions of authority, and such women would deliver. Women have been known to have more commitment, patriotism and determination to fight a system that is not working. And they usually make a mark and achieve excellent results. The problem is whether Nigerians would give them the chance to help in saving Nigeria.
X: @BrandAzuka
