Odion Ighalo deserves more respect back home here in Nigeria!!

Sunday Oliseh named his first squad as Nigeria coach recently for the game against Tanzania which Nigeria would  eventually draw but there were two baffling omissions from the list at the time to me namely: Odion Ighalo and Obafemi Martins. It was very surprising and unlike some of the other absentees, both strikers were in fine form and tallying regular minutes for their respective clubs in the lead up to the squad announcement. More than that, both were actually the most in-form Nigeria forwards at the time. So why were they excluded?

Ighalo's exclusion was even made more puzzling by the fact that he was one of the standout performers in Stephen Keshi's final game. Within minutes of coming on as a second-half substitute, he set up Gbolahan Salami for the opening goal with excellent hold-up play and a visionary pass. He then went on to seal victory by winning and converting a penalty.
And so their omission came as a bit of a head scratcher to many, especially when the Super Eagles then went on to struggle for goals away to Tanzania. With a surfeit of forwards to select from, it seemed to appear that Oliseh wanted to start his tenure by taking a look at his other forward options…which might have rightly been the case.
But observantly where other players might have ranted and complained about being left out, Ighalo did not,he was even upbeat about the situation and wasn’t even drawn on the issue. When reports emerged headlining his "disappointment," Ighalo quickly called the coach to pour cold water on the rumours.
"We spoke on the phone and he explained his position to me and I also told him he was still part of our plans," Oliseh said. Ighalo then went on to make his statement on the pitch for Watford and on the day he was recalled to the squad, he hit two goals for his club to take his tally to four on the season, one behind the Premier League's top scorer….”Action speaks louder than words right”
If your having any doubt in your mind about this lad trust me when I tell you Ighalo's recent form is no coincidence really! As stats show, his 20 goals notched up this calendar year are the most by any striker in the four divisions of English football…hmmm so he’s been sort of really quietly efficient as they say and so it comes as something of a curiosity that he continues to fly under the radar. Ighalo has great attributes of like a vintage EPL forward pace, skill and composure in the attacking third; his goals prove he certainly has the finish to back up all of those qualities.
Unlike some of Ighalo's compatriots however, the Watford striker is not as celebrated back home which might be to some quarters because he recently just got his first call up, but the lad deserves more given his exploits in the World’s toughest league and in a time where Nigerian strikers and players now move to much easier, untested leagues where some still sit on the bench. His move from Granada to Watford raised eyebrows given that he moved from a first division side in La Liga to a second tier club in England. Many of the TV discussions, headlines and column inches centered on the wisdom of the supposedly backward move at the time.
Even when his goals propelled Watford to promotion, he still did not merit enough praise in the Nigerian media except for his passing. And when Watford secured their spot in the Premier League, again Ighalo was little more than an afterthought.
When the likes of Obafemi Martins broke through at Inter Milan, his every move made headlines back home…yea every move maybe the only part we didn’t know of was when he was heading to the toilet also  Emmanuel Emenike's goal-scoring in Turkey also made for major headlines back home, while Kelechi Iheanacho is the most recent and currently enjoying a huge domestic following for his first goal at Manchester City despite not playing a combined 90 minutes for them this season…If he blinks we follow

Puzzling as this apparent discrimination may be because I tried to search for a word to fit Ighalo’s situation but that’s the best I could really come out with, it is entirely without malice and just the way things work in these parts.
Ighalo is humble, unassuming and accessible. He is one of few players with no airs around him. Naturally, that should be enough to tip the balance in his favour in the popularity. But it has not been the case.
The origins of this confusing situation maybe goes as far back as 2009 and the U-20 World Cup in Egypt when, as captain of the Flying Eagles, Ighalo's team failed to fly. Highly rated going into the tournament, the forward failed to hit anywhere close to the heights expected of him, leaving media and fans disappointed in both the player and his team.