By Monsurah Olatunji
Chuba Akpom has expressed his frustration over not receiving a call-up to the Nigerian senior national team since switching his allegiance from England in 2019.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Akpom holds dual citizenship and has represented England at youth and under-21 levels. However, after pledging to play for Nigeria in 2019, he has yet to earn a call-up despite his impressive performances at the club level.
The Arsenal academy product has been one of Nigeria’s most consistent forwards in recent seasons, but has been left out of the national team picture. In an interview shared by Oma Sports on Instagram, Akpom spoke candidly about his wait and his ongoing hope for the future, especially with the new Super Eagles management.
“Of course, I am a Nigerian boy and love to play for Nigeria, but I just haven’t had the chance. I’ve been waiting since 2019,” he said. “I switched allegiance a long time ago, but if it happens, it happens; if not, I just keep working hard.”
Akpom continued, “I don’t have a clue why I haven’t been called up. Maybe there are a lot of good strikers. For the nation to progress, selection needs to be on merit—the players that are performing well need to be selected.”
He also reflected on his experience growing up in England, adding, “When you grow up in England and play for the England U16s to U21s, you never have the chance of playing for Nigeria’s youth teams.”
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
