For about 25 minutes on Saturday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke
\nwith the Golden Eaglets and their officials, urging them to strive for
\nvictory tomorrow in the final of the Under-17 FIFA World Cup holding in
\nChile.<\/p>\n
Nigeria first won the same tournament in China in 1985, when President
\nBuhari was military head of state, and he urged the team to repeat the
\nsame feat tomorrow against Mali, to make it the fifth time Nigeria will
\nwin the trophy.<\/p>\n
Starting with the head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, President Buhari
\ncongratulated him for leading the team to the final, and then said:”Your
\nvictory tomorrow will remind Nigerians of what happened in China 30 years
\nago, and it will raise the morale of Nigerians, especially the youths.
\nWe’re praying for you. We are anxiously waiting to receive the cup. Please
\nput us on the world map of soccer again.”<\/p>\n
Speaking to Udoh Akpan, the goalkeeper, President Buhari said he was a
\nvery strategic member of the team, noting:”If you don’t let in the goals,
\nthen none will be scored against us. We look forward to lifting the cup.”
\nTo John Lazarus, a defender, the President said, “don’t allow anybody to
\npenetrate the defense,” while charging Tobechukwu Ibe, another defender to
\n“rest well today, because a lot of Nigerians will be depending on you
\ntomorrow.”
\nTo top striker, Victor Osimhen, who has scored 9 goals so far, President
\nBuhari said:”Strike like thunder tomorrow. I believe you will bring us
\nvictory.”
\nThe captain of the team, Kelechi Nwakali, was charged to maintain his
\nwinning leadership , while Joel Osikel, a midfielder, was told by the
\nPresident that he was “the jewel of the team,” and challenged to
\ncontribute his quota towards victory.
\nApart from the 21 players and head coach, President Buhari also had
\nencouraging words for other members of the technical team, the team
\ndoctor, physiotherapist, media officer, and other officials.
\nBoth Coach Amuneke and the team captain thanked President Buhari for his
\nsupport, and promised not to let him and the country down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For about 25 minutes on Saturday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with the Golden Eaglets and their officials, urging them to strive for victory tomorrow in the final of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n