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Super Eagles Decimated Sao Tome and Principle 10-0 in AFCON Qualifiers, Make History
Joel Ajayi
The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Monday produced a superlative performance as they recorded their second biggest win in history following a 10-0 demolition of Sao Tome and Principe on matchday 2 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON, qualifiers.
There were so many firsts on the scoresheet as Lookman Ademola, Terem Moffi, and Dennis Emmanuel all made history.
While Osimhen scored his first a haul (four goals) for the Eagles, Terem Moffi scored his first international goal and he made it a double, Leicester City of England attacker, Lookman Ademola who Jose Peseiro preferred in the starting lineup over Samuel Chukwueze scored his first goal as well as Watford’s striker, Dennis Emmanuel was also on target.
In a dominant fashion with the team not ready for flippancy, Victor Osimhen raised the bar in 9 minutes before Moses Simone doubled the lead in the 28th minute.
Terem Moffi made it 3-0 as both teams went into the dressing room for the first half.
But more goals were to come as Lookman provided a superb assist for Osimhen to score his second of the day on the dot of the 48th minute before Oghenekaro Etebo made it 5-0 7 minutes later
On the dot of 60 minutes, Terem Moffi scored his second goal while Lookman scored his first international goal for Nigeria in the 63rd minute to make it 7-0 for the Eagles.
Decimated Sao Tome players refused to give up as they made spirited efforts to reduce the deficit but they were rather punished the more.
Victor Osimhen, hungry and undone, scored his 3rd and 4th goals in the 65th and 84th minutes to hand Nigeria a 9-0 lead
Osimhen had a hand in 6 goals as he scored 4 and assisted 2 Dennis Emmanuel also scored his first goal in the 94th minute via spot-kick to hand the Eagles 10-0 victory.
It is also the first time the team is keeping a clean sheet since their 2-0 win against Guinea Bissau in the 2021 AFCON earlier in the year
It is the second time Nigeria is scoring 10+ goals in an International match following their 10–1 win against Dahomey in Lagos on 28 November 1959.
The victory hands the Jose Peseiro-led lads Group A leadership pending the outcome of the Sierra Leone vs Guinea Bissau match.
The Super Eagles will take on Guinea Bissau in a double header in September. The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON will hold in Cote D’Ivoire next year
Featured
Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.
The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.
Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.
“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.
“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”
The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.
Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.
“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.
Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.
Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.
He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.
Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.
He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.
To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.
In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization
Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.
Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.
“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.
In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee
is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.
The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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