Former Nigeria international Paul Okoku, in this interview with CHARLES OGUNDIYA, speaks on the Super Eagles’ struggles, the way forward for Nigerian football, his playing career and journey into football writing and analysis.

Do you think Nigerian football is where it’s supposed to be today?

Nigerian football has been a story of enormous talent, memorable achievements, but also missed opportunities and institutional inconsistency.

We have produced outstanding generations of footballers, won the Africa Cup of Nations, Olympic gold and major youth championships, and produced players who have competed at the highest level around the world.

So, talent has never been Nigeria’s problem. But considering our population, history, passion and football resources, I do not believe Nigerian football is where it ought to be today.

We should have one of the strongest domestic leagues in Africa, stronger youth-development structures, greater representation of Nigerian coaches and referees internationally, and national teams that qualify consistently for major tournaments. Our challenge has been turning individual talent into a sustainable football system.

The Super Eagles’ 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers was shocking. What is your reaction?

It is not acceptable! By Nigeria’s football standards, a defeat of 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau cannot be considered acceptable.

That is no disrespect to Guinea-Bissau. They earned their victory. Coach Eric Chelle himself acknowledged afterwards that they were more aggressive, played with greater intensity and that Nigeria failed to find solutions during the match.

What concerns me is not simply losing a football match. Every team loses. It is the manner in which you lose. The name Super Eagles cannot win a match for you. Once the referee blows the whistle, history disappears.

You have to compete, match the opponent’s intensity and solve problems on the field. The important thing now is to learn from it. I am happy they came back stronger against Russia, albeit missing so many regulars. So, we need to keep that 3-3 result in perspective.

What is the way forward for Nigerian football? We have to stop constantly treating symptoms and start dealing with the structure.

Nigeria needs a long-term football development programme that survives individual administrators and coaches. We need stronger grassroots development, proper coaching education, scouting, infrastructure, player welfare, referee development and a domestic league that is commercially and competitively strong.

There should also be continuity between grassroots football, academies, domestic clubs, youth national teams and the Super Eagles. Football development cannot be an emergency operation every time results go wrong. Great football nations build systems that make success consistent.

Personally, what do you think is lacking?

I would say continuity, structure, vision, accountability and planning. We are too reactive. When the team loses, everybody wants somebody removed.

When the team wins, suddenly everybody believes the problems have disappeared. Football development does not work that way.

There has to be a philosophy and a pathway. We should know how we want Nigerian teams to play, how players are developed, how coaches are trained and how the domestic league connects to the national teams. Talents can produce results momentarily, but structure will produce generations.

Do you think a change of leadership will bring the desired improvement

Changing leadership alone will not solve problems in Nigerian football. Leadership is extremely important because leaders determine priorities, make appointments and establish standards. But if you change the individuals without changing the system, you eventually arrive at the same problems.

The issue is not who occupies an office but whether the system becomes more accountable, transparent, technically competent and properly planned.

New leadership can produce progress if it brings genuine structural reforms. Changing names without changing the culture will achieve very little success.

Is the current coach good enough for the Eagles?

I would not make a final judgment on Eric Chelle because of one bad result. The 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau was his first defeat as Nigeria’s coach, according to reports following the match.

Now we should watch the response. International coaching is about tactical clarity, player selection, adaptability and the ability to correct problems quickly.

Nigeria has talented footballers. The coach’s responsibility is to turn those talented individuals into an effective team.

So, for me, the important question is what happens next? Can he identify what went wrong? Can he make the necessary adjustments? Can the players respond? Ultimately, every national-team coach must be judged by performances, improvement and results over time.

What was the experience in the domestic league during your days?

The domestic game was extremely important during our generation. There were strong clubs, intense rivalries and tremendous pride in representing your team.

I played within that Nigerian football system through clubs including National Bank, Leventis United and Abiola Babes.

The domestic league had players who were good enough to move directly into the national team. Supporters strongly identified with their clubs, and players knew national-team selectors were watching.

That connection between domestic football and the national team was very important. Nigeria needs to restore that prestige so that playing successfully in the Nigerian league is once again regarded as a genuine pathway to the national team.

What is the difference between the Super Eagles of your generation and the present team?

Every generation should be judged within its own era. Today’s players have advantages we did not have — better sports science, nutrition, technology, facilities and exposure to some of the strongest leagues in the world.

But one advantage our generation had was that many of us developed together within Nigerian football. We came through school football, youth competitions, domestic clubs and national-team camps.

Those experiences helped create familiarity and collective identity. Today’s Super Eagles have enormous individual qualities. The challenge is turning that individual qualities into a strong collective identity. A collection of outstanding players does not automatically become an outstanding team.

Tell us about your football journey.

My journey began through grassroots and school football and developed progressively through competitions such as YSFON, Lagos youth football and school football, including St. Finbarr’s College.

From there, I progressed through club football and eventually into the Nigerian national-team system.

Football taught me discipline, responsibility, competition, teamwork and resilience long before I began thinking of it as a career. Eventually, that journey gave me the privilege of representing Nigeria.

I often say that football was not simply somewhere I arrived. Football became the road that carried me through many stages of my life.

What was your experience with the national teams, especially the U-20 Flying Eagles?

That remains one of the proudest chapters of my football life. I had the privilege of serving as vice captain of Nigeria’s 1983 Flying Eagles, which had Ali Jeje as captain.

That team became the first Nigerian national football team at any level to qualify for a FIFA World Cup competition, when we represented Nigeria at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship in Mexico.

We were young men carrying an entire country’s expectations into unfamiliar territory. That experience taught me what representing Nigeria truly meant.

When you wear the national colours, you are no longer playing only for yourself, your club or your family.

You are representing millions of Nigerians. I later progressed to the senior national team and was part of Nigeria’s 1984 Africa Cup of Nations silver-medal team. Those experiences stay with you for life.

How did your parents react to your decision to pursue football as a career?

During our generation, football did not offer the kind of financial security young players can potentially find today. Education was extremely important, and naturally parents wanted to know that their children would have a responsible future. So football and education must coexist.

A football career can end very quickly, but education, character and the ability to re-invent yourself can remain with you forever.

That is why I continue to encourage young players not to believe that pursuing football means abandoning education.

How did you move from playing football to journalism and writing?

I describe myself primarily as a football writer, analyst, historian and commentator. Writing became another way for me to contribute to the game.

Having experienced football from inside the dressing room, on the pitch, in domestic football and internationally, I gradually became interested in what happens beyond ninety minutes – administration, governance, player welfare, development, history and accountability.

That led naturally into research and writing. But having played football does not automatically make everything I say correct. I still have a responsibility to research, verify information and distinguish facts from opinion.

Football gave me experiences. Writing allows me to place those experiences into context and hopefully contribute something useful to the next generation. I often say football was not an end in itself. It was a means to an end.

It was my transportation through life’s journey. It carried me into places, relationships and experiences I could never have imagined as a young boy chasing a football. Today, writing gives me another way to serve the game that gave me so much.