President Muhammadu Buhari spoke with the Golden Eaglets via
Skype yesterday for 25 minutes. He is pictured above urging the players to fly higher than
the stars and strike like lightning when they meet Mali on Sunday in the final
of the Under-17 FIFA World Cup holding in Chile.
As the Golden Eaglets prepare to take on their Malian
counterparts at the final of the FIFA U-17 world cup, President Buhari has
thrown in a few words of encouragement to the team in a phone conversation.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday afternoon also had
telephone conversations with members of Nigeria’s U-17 team ahead of their
World Cup final on Sunday, November 8. Buhari spoke with each member of the team, charging them to
repeat the feat of 30 years when Nigeria became the first African country to
win a FIFA tournament.
Buhari, who was military head of state at the time, charged
the team to “do it again” because it will encourage Nigerians, particularly the
youths. Sani Abacha, the former head of state, started the tradition
of telephone chat with the national team in 1994 ahead of the Africa Cup of
Nations final in Tunisia, which Nigeria won. But Buhari’s conversation was not
televised, unlike in the past.
The Golden Eaglets, coached by Emmanuel Amuneke, will play
against Mali in the final in Chile, hoping to make it a record 5th win after
victories in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013.
No comments