Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets (U-17) that won the FIFA U-17 world cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013 are yet to receive promised houses by Cross Rivers State Government npflupdates.com reports.
Manu Garba and his Golden Eaglets side that boast of current Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho, goalkeeper Dele Alampasu and Yahaya Musa are yet to receive a house gift promised them by then Cross Rivers State Governor Liyel Imoke.
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It is almost 10 years exactly when Senator Imoke(then Cross Rivers State Governor) during a reception inside the state’s council chamber in Calabar on Friday, 15th November 2013, promised house gifts to the 21 players and 10 officials of the victorious Golden Eaglets team. According to the governor, the gift is for doing the country proud at the United Arab Emirates-hosted event.
2013 world cup winning Golden Eaglets yet to receive house gift as promised by Cross River state government
“We want to make an investment with you in property,” Senator Imoke said in the presence of the then Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by the then President, Aminu Maigari as quoted by CompleteSports Nigeria.
According to Imoke, the state government is developing a new housing estate, which upon completion part of it will be gifted to the players and staff.
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“We have a new housing estate already being developed and at the end of the completion of those estates, each one of you will have a small piece of property that is your own and that would have been fully developed; that you can rent out or occupy,” he added.
However, coach Manu Garba said it is appalling that the pledge made by Liyel Imoke in 2013, on behalf of the Cross River state government, is yet to materialise.
“Of course, we were all excited when Senator Liyel Imoke made the pronouncement at the Government House in Calabar when he hosted us for winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013, but this is 2023, and ten years after the pledge, we are yet to be given the houses as promised,” Garba said.
According to Garba, efforts made during the tenure of Imoke’s successor, Professor Ben Ayade, to see that the players and officials received the house gifts bore no fruitful results either.
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“The FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team of 2013, was the baby of the Cross River State because we were camped at the Princeville Hotel in Calabar for many months, and we played all our qualifying matches there,” he continued.
“Unfortunately, we are yet to be given these houses despite efforts to have the pledge redeemed during the tenure of Professor Ayade.”
The experienced coach, pleaded with the current Governor of the state, His Excellency Bassey Otu TOS fulfill the promise of Imoke.
He added, “We are pleading with the new Governor, His Excellency, Bassey Otu to use his good office to fulfill this pledge made on behalf of the state government by Senator Imoke, and I’m also seeking the intervention of the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, who coincidentally comes from Cross River State, to ensure that justice is done on our behalf.
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“We have waited so long. This year, we lost the hard-working equipment manager of the team, Muhammed Kafa, and it would be in his good memory and show that our labour of winning the World Cup in 2013, was not in vain if we get these houses.”
