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.