Ben Akwuegbu is confident Stephen Keshi will learn from his mistakes and will make a success of his Super Eagles comeback.

Keshi on Tuesday signed a two-year contract to manage Nigeria for a third time, ending months of uncertainty and speculation over his future.

The 53-year-old, who won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and guided the Eagles to a second round exit at the World Cup in Brazil last year, failed to secure a new contract after his initial three-year deal expired after Brazil 2014.

The Nigeria Football Federation was plunged into leadership crisis after the global tournament, and Keshi was asked to remain   in charge of the side on a match-by-match deal – to oversee the team during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, pending the conclusion of his contract talks with the NFF.

But the   former Anderlecht star was fired after Nigeria’s Equatorial Guinea 2015 qualification came under threat.

However, he was reinstated three weeks after to complete the Africa Cup of Nations qualification assignment.

Keshi’s match-by-match contract ended on November 19, 2014 – the day Nigeria battled to a shock 2-2 draw against South Africa in Uyo to end the Eagles’ dreams of Equatorial Guinea 2015 qualification.

The former Eagles captain caught a lot of flak for Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the continental finals, with some sections of the media questioning his tactical nous.

The NFF’s negotiation with Keshi for a new contract provoked a storm of criticism and the ire of some Nigerians. The former Togo manager added fuel to the fire the flames after he reportedly demanded a 100 per cent pay raise to his   N5m-a-month deal.

However, after protracted negotiations the NFF re-appointed Keshi during the week.

And former Nigeria forward Akwuegbu hailed the football house’s decision to give the ex-Togo coach a new deal.

He believes Keshi will learn from his past mistakes and work to build a solid team for the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Ghana-Nigeria 2000 Africa Cup of Nations silver medallist maintains Nigeria missed out on a place in the Equatorial Guinea 2015 finals because the team underestimated their opponents. He also blamed the players for not producing their best performances to help the country qualify for the championship.

“It’s good the NFF has given Keshi another chance,” Akwuegbu, who represented the country at the Korea/Japan 2000 World Cup, told our correspondent on the telephone from London   during the week.

“I think he will learn from his mistakes, and I’m very sure he will deliver. He is currently the best Nigerian coach. He won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach. And he took us to the second round of the World Cup. He’s a good coach and a great leader.

“I’m happy with the NFF’s   decision to give a Nigerian another chance to manage the national team.”

However, the well-travelled former Grazer AK star urged Keshi to strengthen his squad to compete with the best on the continent.

The former-France-based player added, “There should be no automatic spot for any player. And Keshi should pick only players who play regularly for their teams.”

The FC Gratkorn (an Austrian Football First League side)   manager insists the country can win titles under the Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner if the Eagles receive strong support from the media and fans.

He added, “We have plenty of stars everywhere. We can build a solid squad with good foreign-based and domestic league players.”