Buhari revisits his 30-year pledge to Golden Eaglets
THE victory of the Golden Eaglets in the
just concluded U-17 World Cup
tournament in Chile provided the
opportunity to President Muhammadu
Buhari to revisit his pledge made to the
pioneer members of that category of
footballers in 1985.
It was under the then Gen. Buhari 30
years ago that the batch of Nigeria’s
Golden Eaglets first won the Under-17
World Cup in 1985. But the President
expressed dissatisfaction that the
promises that his administration made
then to the champions were not
redeemed.
Therefore, he said he would fulfill the
promises made 30 years ago during a
reception held at Dodan Barracks with
the players, in celebration of their
outstanding victory.
In a statement last night, the Senior
Special Assistant on Media and Publicity
to the President, Garba Shehu, Buhari
said it had been brought to his attention
that a directive, which he gave to the
state governments at the time had not
been complied with.
“It is a pity that those promises were
never fulfilled,” he said. “It is
unfortunate that our players, who did us
proud on the world stage went
unrewarded for their efforts, despite a
presidential directive to the state
administrators that they be honoured in
their home states.”
The statement noted that, of the various
promises made to the players at the time,
only the Federal Government fulfilled its
own commitment – by sponsoring the
players on a trip to watch the 1986
World Cup, which took place in Mexico.
The houses, scholarships and naming of
streets after each player were supposed
to have been catered for by the states.
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