The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensure adequate youth and sports development in the country. Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare disclosed this while hosting the players and officials of the victorious U-17 boys, National Team, the Golden Eaglets at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, for winning the West African Football Union WAFU B Championship Cup, held in Cape Coast, Ghana.
In a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations,Mohammed Manga and made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA, the Minister assured that government would continue to focus on grassroots sports with the view to ensuring positive results to further build for the country formidable teams in all its sporting activities in order to represent nation at International competitions. Mr. Dare who eulogized the team spirit of the players which he said culminated to the victory that has made the country proud affirmed that, playing and winning for a country of over 200 million citizens was not a mean feat but a bust.
He also commended the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for making merit and competence its watchwords in selection of coaches for the age-grade National Teams, as agreed with the Ministry, which he said, has started to bear fruits with excellent performances at U20 and U17 levels. “You have set a high standardand cannot lower it, Nigeria has won the trophy 4 times hopefully might win it again, all you need is to remain focus hard working and obedient to the coaches and avoid distraction”, he said. He added further, ” I want to give credit to the NFF for implementing the cardinal principles that we agreed at meetings on youth football development. Now, we can see that the emphasis on merit and competence has started to bear fruits.
The U17 and U20 girls have qualified for their FIFA World Cup competitions with aplomb and the U17 and U20 boys have won regional tournaments in emphatic manner, with promises of what we can look forward to at their African championships next year. “Our hard focus as a government on grassroots development in all sports will continue. I congratulate the players and their coaches of the Golden Eaglets for winning so convincingly in Ghana and I want to charge you to remain focused for the continental championship in order to get the ticket to the World Cup. For you players, you must stay humble, hardworking and obedient to your coaches”, he explained.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, warned the players against allowing distractions from all manner of agents and player-managers, and rather be dedicated to improving their craft with temperance, endurance and a level head. The Permanent Secretary who commended the players for writing Nigeria’s in gold in the continentannounced a cash reward of Two Million Naira for the team owing to their exemplary performance at the tournament.
The Secretary General, Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi while presenting the players and the team to the Minister, stated that Head Coach Nduka Ugbade was the captain of the first Nigeria team to win the FIFA Cadet World Cup (CWP) and was also assistant coach to Manu Garba when Nigeria triumphed in the United Arab Emirates in 2013. “He is also a global consultant on football science”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the team, the Head Coach Nduka Ugbade disclosed that football has gone scientific and their is therefore the need for early campaign as the team guns for its world cup ticket. He desribed the reception as a special occasion and said the team is encouraged to do its utmost to continue to bring honour to the nation, “first by putting up a stellar outing at the U20 AFCON in Algeria and then going on to hold its own at the FIFA World Cup finals in Peru.”ReplyForward
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