The Caykur Rizespor defender has said the Super Eagles would play with everything in their arsenal to win in Pointe Noire on Saturday
Defender Godfrey Oboabona has told Goal that it would be suicidal if defending champions Nigeria fail to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles flew out to Pointe Noire on Thursday night ahead of Saturday’s must-win game with Congo.
“It is a very important game because it will be a very big disappointment for the players, coaches, the fans and even you the journalists, if we, the defending champions, fail to qualify for the 2015 Nations Cup,” Oboabona told Goal.
“All the players know what is at stake and from the training ground, the players are giving their best to ensure that we come back from Congo with the maximum three points.
“For me, this game is not a matter of win at all cost thing, it is more than a do or die thing for us, because this is going to be the game that will determine whether we are going to be at the Nations Cup or not.
“By the special grace of God and with the way the training has been going on, I am confident that we will come out victorious.”
The 22-year-old tried to play down the strangeness of the team’s present situation which has left them in a difficult place in the qualifiers.
“There is no big deal about the current situation that we have found ourselves because football can be very funny,” he said.
“Things that you do not expect can happen suddenly and that does not mean that the team is no longer good.
“You can see the way [former] world champions Spain were knocked out at the first round [of the World Cup], but their people did not abandon them.
“This is the time we really need people around us to support us and by the special grace of God, we shall qualify.”
Obaobona rubbished claims that the current NFF crisis played a part in the problems the team faced at the beginning of the qualifiers.
“I am a footballer and I do not listen to what is happening outside the field, my business should be on the pitch and I do not believe that those things affected us,” he said.
On the return of striker Ikechukwu Uche, Oboabona said: “I am happy that he is back with the team but if he is not in the team that does not mean that the team will not do well, just like if Obaobona is not in the team sometimes in the future, the team will move forward.
“But I am very happy seeing him banging goals in his club and I pray that he will re-enact the club form for the Super Eagles against Congo.”
Nigeria need to win by at least two goals to keep alive their hopes of reaching the 2015 Afcon.