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Remembering Nigeria’s Overflowing Crop of Strikers at the 2010 World Cup
The World Cup is here, and for the second straight edition of the tournament, the summer will go on without Nigerian involvement. The Super Eagles endured a disastrous qualifying campaign, winning just one of their opening six games and facing an uphill battle to qualify.
They did recover somewhat, and a run of three wins in four — including a thrilling 4-0 victory against Benin on the final day when they needed to win by three clear goals — secured a spot in the playoffs. However, that too would end in misery after losing the playoff final on penalties to underdogs DR Congo.
Africa’s Contingent at the World Cup
A ten-strong African contingent will now jet out to North America, with the bookies making Morocco the pick of them. One top crypto sports betting outlet currently makes the Atlas Lions a 50/1 shot to become the first winner from the continent of Africa, four years on from becoming its first-ever semifinalists. For Nigeria, however, a long summer lies ahead of simply watching on, as opposed to being involved.
Nigeria’s Glory Days
It wasn’t always this way. The Super Eagles featured in six of the seven tournaments held between 1994 and 2018, reaching the Round of 16 in three of them. Throughout that run, Nigeria had a slew of strikers in their attacking arsenal, capable of scoring goals against any defence.
Never was this more apparent than in the 2010 showpiece in South Africa, when then-manager Lars Lagerbäck named no fewer than seven strikers in his 23-man squad. While their goalscoring form would abandon them in their hour of need that summer, let’s see if you can remember who they were.
Nwankwo Kanu
When it comes to the greatest Nigerian strikers of all time, Nwankwo Kanu has to be near the top of the list. He shot to prominence with Arsenal in the early 2000s, announcing himself with a blistering 15-minute hat trick against rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He would go on to claim two Premier League titles with the Gunners, but by the time the 2010 World Cup rolled around, he was in the twilight of his career.
Kanu was still in the Premier League with Portsmouth, and Super Eagles boss Lagerbäck made him captain for the tournament. Even still, he sat on the bench for the first two games before playing an hour in the third against South Korea.
Yakubu
Feed the Yak, and he will score. That’s what English fans used to sing about cult-hero Yakubu during his days with Portsmouth, Everton, and Middlesbrough. He had just netted five Premier League goals for the Toffees in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, and he was supposed to be the man to fire Nigeria to glory. Instead, it’s his disastrous miss in the third group stage game against South Korea — a miss that saw the Super Eagles exit the tournament — that he is best remembered for.
Obafemi Martins
Another genuine superstar. Obafemi Martins scored goals for fun alongside Brazilian Adriano at Inter Milan, before moving on to Newcastle United, where he would net 35 goals in three seasons. In 2009/10, he was playing for German outfit Wolfsburg and was still deadly.
Despite his unquestionable prowess at the club level, he wasn’t able to make an impression on the 2010 World Cup. He came off the bench in the games against Argentina and South Korea, but he was never able to find the net, and the Super Eagles duly bowed out.
Peter Odemwingie
Peter Odemwingie was somewhat of an unknown commodity back in 2010. He had spent the last three and a half years in Russia, never truly setting the world alight with Lokomotiv Moscow. He went to the World Cup anyway, despite his lack of form. He, too, would come off the bench for each of the opening two games but never found the net.
At the culmination of the tournament, Odemwingie joined West Bromwich Albion and immediately shot to prominence after scoring 15 goals in his debut campaign. He is perhaps best remembered for driving to Loftus Road, home of Queen’s Park Rangers, in an effort to force through a move on transfer deadline day in 2013, even though the club hadn’t even made an offer to sign him.
John Utaka
Jon Utaka was another in miserable form heading into the World Cup. He had just suffered relegation from the Premier League with Portsmouth alongside Kanu, but Lagerbäck called him to the international squad anyway. He wouldn’t see a single minute of game time at the tournament.
Brown Ideye
21-year-old striker Brown Ideye had never played for Nigeria before, but Lagerback called him up to the World Cup squad as well, despite him netting just two league goals for Sochaux in the season leading up to the tournament. He wouldn’t see a single minute of action either, but he would find form immediately following the tournament. In 2010/11, he hit 17 goals for his French side and secured a big-money move to Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kyiv, where the goals would continue to flow.
Kalu Uche
Almeria striker Kalu Uche was perhaps the most in-form out of this entire crop after netting nine goals in La Liga in the buildup to the World Cup. Truth be told, he is the only one who managed to leave South Africa with his head held high after netting twice on football’s grandest stage, firstly against Greece and then against South Korea. The goals would dry up from there, however, and he only ever found the back of the net twice more in a Nigeria shirt before falling out of favour.
The Yobe State government spends about N360 million annually to provide free dialysis services at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital (YSUTH), Damaturu, the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Baba Goni, has said.
Mr Goni said the hospital conducts between 600 and 700 free haemodialysis sessions every month under the programme, which has been running since 2017.
He disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Thursday.
According to him, the hospital spends N30 million monthly on the programme.
“In dialysis, you don’t count the number of patients because one patient can have two or three sessions in a week,” he said.
“The cost of dialysis per session in other teaching hospitals is about N50,000, excluding the cost of drugs, laboratory investigation and admission where necessary.”
Mr Goni said the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a reputable company supplying dialysis consumables to ensure that the treatment was sustained.
He said the hospital also performed free fistula surgeries to have “vascular access” to patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.
According to him, vascular surgeons are usually invited to conduct the procedure on patients while the hospital pays for the services and purchases the required consumables.
The CMD said a water treatment plant and five additional dialysis machines were recently procured, bringing the total number of functional dialysis machines at the facility to 11.
Mr Goni said that plans had reached an advanced stage to establish another dialysis centre at the Specialists’ Hospital, Gashua, the epicentre of kidney disease in the state.
He said the proposed dialysis centre in Gashua was captured in the 2026 budget to justify the commitment of the state government to the project aimed at easing the suffering of the people.
“Recently, we travelled to Ghana with the Commissioner for Health, where we negotiated with some partners to bring in these dialysis machines and train our nurses and medical engineers who will maintain them,” he said.
“Very soon, people will start enjoying these services over there, so that they don’t have to bear the inconvenience and transportation cost of coming to Damaturu for the treatment.
“I am using this medium to appeal to our people for their understanding of the complex nature of planning and implementation of government projects, which usually take some time.”
Mr Goni announced that a preliminary report on the 2025 kidney disease research, sponsored by the state and conducted in Gashua, would soon be submitted to Governor Mai Mala Buni for necessary action.
He, however, said the report would be thoroughly scrutinised before causality could be established because drawing conclusions on things that were not clear could have economic consequences.
READ ALSO: Katsina health workers to begin 7-day warning strike 8 Sept
“Sometimes the report may suggest action to be taken against the economic livelihood of the communities. We don’t want to do that if we are not fully convinced because poverty is also a problem.
“Remember, during the COVID-19 pandemic, communities were locked down, and the consequences were worse than COVID because many people could not go out to fend for their families,” he said.
Mr Goni said the state and the Urology and Nephrology Centre, Mansoura in Egypt, had, in 2018, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for training doctors and other specialists at the YSUTH on kidney transplant.
He said although, the programme was obstructed by the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts were made to resume its implementation.
(NAN)
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EuroMatch NPFL: From Imo Pride To NPFL Spotlight — Akuchie Obinna Turns Debut Into a Clean-Sheet Spectacle
For Akuchie Obinna, this was more than just another football match.
It was a moment to step onto the biggest stage in Nigerian domestic football and show that the Pride of Imo had a goalkeeper capable of standing tall when the spotlight arrived.
Making his first-ever EuroMatch NPFL appearance for Kun Khalifat FC on Matchday One, Akuchie immediately gave supporters something to talk about, producing a confident performance in the goalless draw away to Abia Warriors.
And when the game demanded a hero, the young goalkeeper answered.
With Abia Warriors pushing for a late winner, Akuchie remained composed between the posts, making crucial saves to protect his side and complete a memorable NPFL debut with a clean sheet.
The biggest drama came late.
Israel Joseph found himself with an opportunity to break the deadlock, but Akuchie stood in the way, producing a crucial save that ensured Kun Khalifat returned home with a valuable point.
That is the kind of debut goalkeepers dream about.
No goal conceded.
Big saves when it mattered.
A point secured on the road.
And then came the recognition.
Akuchie’s impressive performance earned him a place in the Sport Hub Team of the Week, adding another layer of glamour to what had already been a standout introduction to the EuroMatch NPFL.
For a player beginning his top-flight journey, the script could hardly have been better.
First NPFL appearance. First clean sheet. First Team of the Week selection.
From the heart of Imo to the bright lights of the EuroMatch NPFL, Akuchie Obinna has given football fans a name to watch.
And if Matchday One was the trailer, Kun Khalifat’s goalkeeper may just be preparing for a very entertaining season.
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