President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday announced cash rewards and national
honours for the Golden Eaglets and their handlers who won the FIFA U-17
World Cup on Friday in the UAE.
Jonathan made the announcement at a special reception in honour of the
victorious Golden Eaglets, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential
Villa in Abuja.
The President announced a cash reward of N2 million to each of the team’s
19 players.
Jonathan also gave N3 million to the head coach, Manu Garba, and N2.5
million each to the two assistant coaches, Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel
Amunike.
The team’s doctor, physiotherapist, secretary, and the Chief Technical
Officer were rewarded with N500,000 each.
Also, the Team Co-ordinator, Media Officer and Curator were given N300,000
each.
The President also said that the players, all their handlers and some key
officials of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club would be given national
honours at a later date.
Jonathan, who described the cash rewards as ”very very little tokens”
from the federal government, urged state governments, the private sector
and public-spirited individuals to follow the federal government’s step in
rewarding the Eaglets.
The President extolled the team’s dedication, discipline and spirit of
sportsmanship, noting that they brought honour to the nation.
He said ”with commitment and hard work, from being the second best in
Africa, the Eaglets had transformed to the best in the world by winning
the World Cup”.
Jonathan noted that with the consistent winning of five major tournaments
in the last two years, Nigeria had recorded its golden era in sports.
The President attributed the success in the sector to the pro-active
measures and policy action taken by his administration after the the
country’s disappointing performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
He assured that his administration would continue to provide necessary
support in terms of facilities and funding to the sports sector.
”The victory of the Eaglets was for the whole of Africa and the beginning
of the revival in the nation’s sorts sector,” Jonathan said.
He also charged stakeholders in the sector to harness the potentials of
the victorious Eaglets for greater successes.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, said that the
success recorded by the team was not by accident but as a result of a
system reconstructed to deliver results.
He said the process of selecting the victorious 19 players was rigorous
and competitive, devoid of favouritism.
Abdullahi said the successes recorded so far in the sports sector in the
last two years had placed Jonathan as the most successful President in
Nigerian sports history.
”The victorious Golden Eaglets team is not just a team but a project and
their winning will not be the end but a beginning of greater victory for
the nation,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before the President’s
speech, the captain of the team, Musa Mohammed, had presented the cup to
Abdullahi, who in turn presented it to the President.
The Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, whose country played the final match
with the Eaglets, was also at the event.
He presented the home and away jersies of his country’s national football
team to the President in a show of spirit of sportsmanship.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo, the Senate President, Sen. David Mark, and
his Deputy, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, were also at the reception.
Others at the event included the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and his Deputy, Hon Emeka Ihedioha.
Also at the event were state governors such as Godswill Akpabio of Akwa
Ibom, Jonah Jang of Plateau, Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Liyel Imoke of
Cross Rivers, ministers and presidential aides