By A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Unknown to many football fans, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, had shortly after Nigeria Super Eagles defeated the Palancas Negras of Angola, at the quarter final stage of the ongoing African Cup of Nations football Fiesta, predicted a Nigeria/ Cote d'Ivoire finals.

Speaking shortly after the qualification of the Super Eagles of Nigeria for the semi finals, with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) via Zoom, Akpabio had categorically declared that he was very sure of the qualification of the Super Eagles for the finals and was also very certain that the finals would be between Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire.

Akpabio, who assured the team of the support of the Federal Government andNigerians in their quest to winning the coveted trophy stated, " I congratulate our players for emerging victorious today over the Palancas Negras. I led a very powerful Federal Government delegation to Cote d'Ivoire, just to reassure the team that the Federal Government and Nigerians were solidly behind them and would stand by them till the finals.

"The visit was also to further reassure our teeming youths that the current government in Nigeria is a youth friendly one and would do everything within its powers to assist them to develop their potentials for national development," he declared.

According to Akpabio, "Nigeria will meet Cote d'Ivoire at the finals. Nigeria will defeat them, but would leave the trophy behind for them to celebrate with it, in recognition of their fantastic hosting of the football tournament, after which the cup would be returned to Nigeria as the champions."

As predicted by the sports loving Senate President, who had, during his tenure as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, built a world class stadium in the state to enhance sports development, the Super Eagles, on Wednesday, defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, to set up a clash with the Elephant of Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday to determine the King of the round leather game in the continent.