On March 25, 2024, a claim went viral on X (formerly Twitter) that Allen Onyema, the CEO of Airpeace and a strong supporter of the Super Eagles, warned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) not to bring any idiot as Super Eagles Coach.
This claim is coming days after Nigeria won a friendly match against Ghana under the interim management of Finidi Goerge. George took over after Jose Peseiro’s contract expired in February 2024. Peseiro had a good outing at the last African Cup of Nations (AFCON), taking the Nigeria team to the 2nd position and a silver medal.
Since Onyema granted the interview, the claim has gone viral. Some X users however insinuated that he never mentioned “idiot” throughout the interview.
Claim: Allen Onyema told the NFF not to employ any idiot foreign coach for the Super Eagles
Verification:
The CDD War Room found that Allen Onyema shared his view with the City People Magazine on March 23, 2024. In an exclusive interview, Allen Onyema, a football enthusiast and staunch supporter of the Super Eagles, shared his view on the selection of the Super Eagles Coach.
He said, “ We are suffering from colonial mentality in this country. We don’t appreciate our own. We don’t appreciate ourselves. With people like you (Segun Odegbami) and array of other sport superstars, soccer stars produced in this country, I don’t see the reason why we cannot have a look into the country and get somebody out there that will take on the Super Eagles. As far as I am concerned, Eguavoen succeeded to some level.
A lot of them succeeded. The truth is that when a foreign coach bows out from the group stage, nobody talks, when a Nigerian coach bows out from Quarter finals or semi finals, oh if it had been a foreign coach, we would have won the cup.
He added that “Nobody gives Nigerian coaches a chance. Nigerians should rise up against any NFF, that goes again to get any idiot as a foreign coach. We don’t need a foreign coach, let us grow our own, let us even save the Naira. Let us grow our own and give the Nigerian coach the same incentives, you’re giving the foreign coach and see them excel. I do it in my place of work…”
Verdict: TRUE
The CDD War Room found that Allen Onyema made the statement that the NFF should not bring any idiot as Super Eagles coach. In the interview, he made a case for a Nigerian coach and promised to fund a court case to oppose the move, should the NFF decide to hire a foreigner as the Super Eagles coach.