Team Nigeria

Hi there, 

In this article and my next one, I would be sharing my thoughts on Nigeria’s Independence and the importance of every Nigerian seeing themselves as part of Team Nigeria.

“Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results”. – Andrew Carnegie

This indicates that you can overcome challenges if you have a team that has clear goals and works together to achieve it. Looking at the Nigerian context, it implies that for Team Nigeria to be successful, it would require all stakeholders to work together to achieve our common goal.

Nigeria is a country with a population of over 200 million people, we are the most populous black nation on earth with Africa’s largest economy – endowed with numerous natural resources. However, our greatest resource is our human capital – Our People!. To get Team Nigeria to work, win and accomplish great heights, we need to continue the journey of evolving into a country where justice, equity and fairness is the norm.

As Nigerians, we understand the importance of a team. We are a nation that loves sport, especially football. When thinking about our football successes as a nation, two outstanding teams readily come to mind;

• Super Eagles Team of the 90’s

Nigeria qualified for its first World Cup with this team and also won a second Nations Cup in 1994. Some of the best players Nigeria has ever produced were on the team. The likes of – Lt. Rashidi Yekini, Lt. Stephen Keshi, Jay-Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amunike, Uche Okechuku, Mutiu Adepoju, Peter Rufai amongst others. We remember them because they were able to overcome ethnic, religious and organizational challenges while being successful and playing some of the best brand of football Nigerians had ever witnessed.

• The 1996 Olympics Football Team

We also remember this team fondly because of the brand of football they played and the way they defeated Brazil (4-3) and Argentina (3-2) enroute to the team winning the gold medal. This team had the likes of Kanu Nwankwo, Sunday Oliseh, Tijana Babangida, Daniel Amokachi, Taribo West etc. Just like the Super Eagles team of the 90’s, they were diverse, faced their own challenges but pulled together to give Nigeria and indeed Africa its first ever football gold medal. Both teams are forever etched in our memories because in the end, they were able to overcome.

“A team is only as good as its constituent parts” – FBO

It is important to remember that the players are the most significant part of any team’s success. Having one vision and also being united is critical if any team is to be successful. The success story of France in the 1998 World Cup epitomizes this.

The French National Team made history by hosting and winning the country’s first World Cup on the 12th of July 1998. It was one of the most famous and tense times in the country’s history. Aimé Jacquet, the team’s coach, had a distinct approach to assembling the World Cup team. Instead of integrating France’s most accomplished players into the team, he focused on ensuring team unity above all. His mantra was –  you take your best team to the World Cup, not necessarily your best players. Because of this, he left out two of France’s most accomplished players Eric Cantona and David Ginola. He experienced a lot of opposition as a result of this, with many calling him Paleolithic, archaic, narrow minded and old school. Despite various setbacks, he remained steadfast and the team rewarded him by defeating Brazil (3-0) in the finals to win the World Cup.

So, back to Team Nigeria. As we celebrate our 61st anniversary, we need to recommit to the success of our nation. We should all work towards evolving a better federation and to do this, we must implement the following team-building principles;

1. Common Vision 

“When people come together around a common vision, they can accomplish great things. We need the instruments that pull our people together, not apart” – Nainoa Thompson

For every team to succeed, there must be a common vision everybody buys into. For a football team, it’s probably to win the World Cup, Champions League or its National League title. The common vision is what drives every member of the team. For Team Nigeria, we must have a common vision that all stakeholders buy into. Our political elite, business and religious leaders, youths and all other relevant stakeholders must play a part in crafting and owning this vision, not just talking about it.

Furthermore, Team Nigeria’s vision must have clearly stated and precise objectives. If we work together to pursue a common objective, there are no limits to what our country can accomplish.

2. Everybody is Important in a Team

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson

In Nigeria, we have over 250 ethnic nationalities, 500 languages and different religious groups. We are a truly diverse nation and we must commit to pulling all these nationalities together by focusing on the things that unites us. Ultimately, the power to effect change in any country lies in the hands of its citizenry. Citizen participation is what is required to propel our nation to the next level. This involves Nigerians from different ethnic nationalities, educational backgrounds and  socio-economic status coming together to influence and change social, governmental, economic and national outcomes.

Every stakeholder in Team Nigeria must believe, understand and know what they are contributing to the team. There’s also a need to emphasize that every role, no matter how small, is crucial to the team’s overall success.

The task of ensuring every team member feels and understands their importance to Team Nigeria must be taken seriously. In a typical football team, we have different roles – goalkeeper, midfielders, defenders, forwards etc. They all play key roles and it is crucial that they feel valued. The consequences of not paying attention to this principle could be disastrous for Team Nigeria. This probably explains why our nation is currently experiencing various  agitations across the country.

“Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes a teamwork, a company work, a society work, a civilization work” – Vince Lombardi

3. Accountability 

“At the end of the day, we are accountable to ourselves, our success is a result of what we do – Catherine Pulsifer

Working in a team context necessitates a high level of accountability. Every member of a team must comprehend that they play a role in the success or failure of the team. For Team Nigeria, we must be accountable to ourselves and to God, for the resources that have been bestowed on us.

Accountability for Team Nigeria in the context of our nation speaks to transparency in budget allocation, completing national projects on schedule, strengthening anti-corruption agencies, following through on our commitments and meeting set goals and objectives. It is also vital that we build systems that foster accountability and strengthen our public and private institutions.

4. Do Your Best In Your Little Corner

“Doing your best is more important than being the best” – Zig Ziglar 

Nigeria is my home and the country of my birth and as an avid member of Team Nigeria, I strongly believe in her potential and if you are reading this as a Nigerian, you are a stakeholder in her future. That means you must identify and understand your place in Team Nigeria. So I charge you to do your best in your little corner – if you’re a student, focus on your studies; if you’re an employee, create value and give your best in your work environment; if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, run an ethical business; if you are a Military or Paramilitary personnel, you should commit to defending the integrity of this nation. Our reality is that we are still falling short in many areas – we still have major issues with bribery, corruption, tribalism, nepotism amongst others. We need to fix this!. Ultimately, if we all do our best in our little corner and aggregate it, then Team Nigeria would succeed.

So back to the beginning, as we reflect on these successful football teams with nostalgia and fond memories we should learn from them. I am confident that if we imbibe these principles of team-building, then Nigeria would take her rightful place in the committee of nations and become one of the most influential countries in the world.

“Coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success” – Henry Ford

In the second part of this article, I would be writing about members of Team Nigeria both at home and abroad that are making us proud.

Till the next time we meet here, remember we all have “A Role to Play”.

Bank-Olemoh is the senior special assistant to the president on education interventions.