It feels good to be a Nigerian 🇳🇬

In my part of the world, one of the things that brings us maximum joy and unity is football. Oh yes, no other aspect of socialization has done what sports—especially football—has done for us. The way it unites us is unimaginable and out of this world. It’s the only season where the different tribes and religions throw away their differences and come together to banter, laugh, drink, and eat together. It reaches its peak when Nigeria wins a cup or a medal. Yoh! The joy that fills the air in unity is immeasurable.

Recently, the Super Falcons of Nigeria won the cup in the just-concluded WAFCON tournament in Morocco. The last match, which was the final between Nigeria and Morocco, was a scary one because I know how I gave up, turned off my data, and stopped watching. But at last, we came out victorious.

Yesterday, the nation hosted a party for them, and there were big performances by music stars such as Teni the Entertainer, Flavour, Fido (the “Joy is Coming” crooner), Timi Dakolo, and others. I watched some clips of the event, and it was a wow!

I want to share some of the songs performed by these artists to cheer and celebrate the Super Falcons:

Everything (Amen) by Timi Dakolo

https://youtu.be/XRm15tiTGWE?si=iDlgOGxxQRtsUgaR

This song has prayerfully crafted lyrics that motivate people to keep pushing, celebrate the wins in between, and also believe that bigger things are on the way. The girls danced so well to this song while shouting “Amen” in agreement with the song’s lyrics.

Big Baller by Flavours

https://youtu.be/ME5NX6J6zaw?si=BjBlxWow39_98wxI

When this song came out, it was a national anthem for the big boys in town—I mean people who have money and spend lavishly. This song also indirectly throws accolades to one of the most decorated Nigerian footballers, a female, Asisat Oshoala, popularly known as Agba Baller. When Flavour was performing this song, all of them started hailing Asisat Oshoala because it felt like the song was made for her.

Joy is Coming by Fido

https://youtu.be/GZD53_7aFCs?si=ViO0PB4TlaeTI5ZA

This one was so loud, and it was all joy seeing all of them shouting, “Joy is coming!”—meanwhile, joy had already landed.

Extra! I can’t complete this without mentioning Rema’s performance. She didn’t give a dancing flow; rather, she did a voice-only vibe on her songs, and it was so emotional. She performed songs like For Your Case, Billionaire, and Uyomeyo.

Photo: Caf Women