AFCON 2025: Primate Ayodele Says Prophecy on Super Eagles Has Been Misunderstood
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has said his comments about the Super Eagles’ performance at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations have been misunderstood.
His clarification followed criticism from fans who accused him of wrongly predicting that forward Ademola Lookman would not be effective for Nigeria.
Last Saturday, the cleric warned that some players should not be relied upon, mentioning Lookman among those he felt would not help the team. He also advised the coaches to consider an alternative to first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, said Victor Osimhen should not play full matches, and claimed Nigeria would avoid an early exit if his advice was followed.
“The coach doesn’t have luck, and that will affect us. Meanwhile, we are not going to be eliminated early if they put the right people there. Ademola Lookman will not help them… they need an alternative to Nwabali; we can get to the final,” Ayodele said.
However, Lookman proved decisive in Nigeria’s opening Group C match against Tanzania, scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 victory. He struck with his left foot just one minute after Tanzania equalised, a performance that led many fans to criticise the prophet’s earlier comments.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, on Thursday, Primate Ayodele said some people had twisted his prophecy.
He explained that his comments were about Lookman’s overall impact in the tournament, not just the match against Tanzania.
“My prophecy about Ademola Lookman in the ongoing AFCON tournament is being misrepresented and misunderstood by mischievous individuals,” the statement said.
“The prophecy was a warning. What I said was that Lookman will not help the team in the tournament, not specifically the match against Tanzania. This is just the beginning of the tournament. Only one match has been played, and one game cannot define how the tournament will end.”
Primate Ayodele added that his statements were meant to support the Super Eagles, not to pull them down.
“It will be my greatest joy if Nigeria wins the trophy. I have always supported the national team, and that is why I speak about them. I want them to succeed and return home victorious, but it will only happen if advice is followed,” he said.
