The founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has said that his prophecy on the Super Eagles’ performance at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament has been wrongly interpreted by the public.
His clarification followed criticism from some Nigerians who accused him of wrongly predicting that Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman would be ineffective for the team.
Last Saturday, the cleric had warned that certain players should not be overly relied upon, mentioning Lookman among those he believed would not contribute significantly to the team’s success.
He also advised that Nigeria should consider an alternative to first-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, cautioning against Victor Osimhen playing full matches, and said the team would avoid an early exit if his counsel 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 went on to play a key role in Nigeria’s opening Group C match against Tanzania on Tuesday, scoring the decisive goal in the Super Eagles’ 2–1 win.
The Atalanta winger found the net with a left-footed strike just a minute after Charles M’Mombwa equalised following Semi Ajayi’s opener, a performance that sparked widespread reactions and criticism of the cleric’s earlier comments.
Reacting in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele said his prophecy had been deliberately twisted by what he described as mischievous individuals.
He explained that his comments were about Lookman’s overall impact in the tournament and not specifically about the match against Tanzania.
“My prophecy about Ademola Lookman in the ongoing AFCON tournament is being misrepresented and misunderstood by mischievous individuals for reasons best known to themselves.
“The prophecy was a warning, and what I said was that Lookman will not help the team in the tournament, not exactly the match against Tanzania.
“This is just the beginning of the tournament. Only one match has been played; we should all wait before judging the prophecy. One game cannot define the outcome of the tournament,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Primate Ayodele also stressed that his remarks were meant to support the Super Eagles’ success at the tournament.
“It would be my greatest joy if the Nigerian team wins, but that can only happen if they listen to advice. I have always rooted for the Nigerian team, and this is why my prophecies about them always come up.
“I want them to lift the trophy and come back home victorious, but it will only happen if advice is heeded,” he added.
