The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta said until Nigeria goes back to the drawing board, countries like Madagascar would continue to catch up with the national teams.
Speaking while receiving the Director General of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Alhaji Yakubu Ibn Mohammed, Prof Danbatta recalled that Nigeria had become the toast of global football in the 1990s, with knack of shocking football giants like Brazil and Argentina.
“Everybody is now talking about Madagascar. People are looking at the map to locate where Madagascar is. But the impact they have made is an output of going back to the drawing board and preparing very well for the tournament. The Country is now basking in the euphoria of this victory.
“But remember we were doing this before on regular basis. All of a sudden, other nations started taking steps to bridge the gaps. And they are catching up fast. Something must be done to protect the enviable position we attained,” he noted.
Speaking further, Danbatta called on other corporate entities to support sporting activities in the country, noting that the NCC had been in the vanguard of assisting the sector by sponsoring the biggest tennis tournament in the country.
In the same vein, the NCC boss urged the corporate bodies to collaborate and ensure that the NTA is able to televise the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations’ matches live to Nigerians.