Nigerian Football
Class of 2013 Golden Eaglets cry out: “All we’re saying, fulfil your pledge”
Golden Eaglets coach Manu Garba has yet again called on the government and people of Cross River State to promptly redeem the house gifts pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team, in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Manu painfully regrets that the unfulfilled promise remained a sour point for not only the team members, but also that of its late equipment manager Muhammed Kafa, who unfortunately passed away almost a year ago, without getting the house gift promised by the Cross River State Government led at that time by former governor, Liyel Imoke.
“When I remember Muhammed Kafa, one of the things that come to mind was his desire to get the house pledged to all the ten officials and 21 players that won the World Cup in 2013 by the then Governor Senator Liyel Imoke,” Garba said.” The house gift pledge has gradually paled into becoming an illusion because it has not been redeemed 11 years after Governor Imoke made the pledge in Calabar, and nine years after he left office as governor of the state.
“To think that it’s almost a year that Muhammed left us after that ghastly accident in Kaduna without getting the house is even more painful because that was one of his dreams.
“As we remember Muhammed, I want to use this opportunity to beg incumbent Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, to redeem this pledge that was expressly pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team by his predecessor. This is a good way he can help immortalise Muhammed and help ameliorate the pains of his family. Besides, it will be a morale booster to others to always give their best for their fatherland.”
Recall that precisely on 15th November 2013,Governor Imoke during a reception inside the state’s council chamber for the victorious FIFA U-17 World Cup team of 2013,offered house gifts to the 21 players and 10 officials for doing the country’s proud in the United Arab Emirates.
“We want to make an investment with you in property,” Senator Imoke said in front of camera and in the presence of the then Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi and other chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by the then President Aminu Maigari.
He added amid cheers: “We have a new housing estate already being developed and at the end of that exercise; completion of those estates, each one of you would have a small piece of property that is your own and that would have been fully developed; that you can rent out or occupy.”
But Garba said it was shocking that the pledge made by Senator Imoke in 2013 on behalf of the government and people of Cross River State is yet to materialise.
“Of course, we were all excited when Senator 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 we are yet to be given the houses as promised, even though the housing estate has long been completed and occupied,” Garba said, adding that efforts made during the tenure of Imoke’s successor, Professor Ben Ayade bore no fruitful results.
He continued “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 but nothing was done about the house gifts during the tenure of Professor Ayade.
“But since government is a continuous process, we are pleading with Governor Bassey Otu to use his good office to fulfil this pledge made on behalf of the state by Senator Imoke.
“ I’m also seeking the intervention of Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, who incidentally comes from Cross River State, to ensure that justice is done on our behalf.
“ We have waited so long and just last year, we lost one of us, our hard working equipment manager, Muhammed Kafa, but I think it will be in his good memory if the house gifts are redeemed and show that our labour of winning the World Cup in 2013 is not in vain,” added Garba.
Nigerian Football
Like what happened to Stores earlier, another Lagos club thrown out of the Nigerian League
Another Lagos club, 1472 FC, has been thrown out of Nigeria’s second-tier league, the Nigeria National League, for failure to honour three matches in the current season.
Crowd-pulling Stationery Stores suffered a similar fate 32 years ago when they were expelled from the Nigeria Professional League.
In a press release on Tuesday, the NFF announced that 1472 FC did not honour three matches during the current season.
The matches were against Abia Comets (Match 9), Dakkada FC (Match 53) and Ijele FC (Match 74).
The NNL relied on the league’s Article 14.11 to expel the club.
In the letter signed by the NNL’s Chief Operating Officer, Danlami Alanana, 1472 FC are also fined the sum of N5 million, with the consequence that the results of all their played matches have been nullified, and those yet to be played are cancelled.
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Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has extolled the commitment and determination of Remo Stars Foot ball Club on its victory over Niger Tornadoes, describing it as unprecedented feat in the annals of Ogun State.
It would be recalled that the local football team won the first-ever Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) title with a 1-0 victory over Niger Tornadoes on Sunday, April 27.
In so doing, they become the first team in the state to win the Nigerian elite division league since the state was created on 3 February 1976.
Before the current feat, no team from the state had won the national league. The famous Abiola Babes, the rave of the 1980s, won the Challenge Cup in 1985 and 1987.
Governor Abiodun, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, said the team has sustained the inherent first capacity Ogun State is known for, adding that their resilience and perseverance have paid off.
Governor Abiodun added that Remo Stars has consistently pushed for the best with enviable patriotic tendencies since its formation.
He said the level of the team’s dexterity and capacity earned it the 2024-2025 Nigerian Premier Football League title as well as it’s promotion to the elite league four years ago.
The Governor, therefore, implored other local clubs in Nigeria to emulate the degree of resilience and doggedness the team displayed to help in promoting Nigeria’s local league to enviable heights.
“It is my utmost delight that the age-long perseverance and consistency of the Remo Stars Football team have eventually paid off at the national level and to the admiration of every Nigerian, including our amiable President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“As the first privately-owned NPFL champions since 1996, which ceremoniously secured a place in the CAF Champions League, we commend the undiluted and unwavering determination of the players, the coaching formation, and the entire management.
“This is indeed a clear reflection of the profound trait of Ogun State as the first in all areas of success and our all-inclusive policy of transformation as enshrined in our ISEYA mantra,” the statement read.
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The historic feat of Remo Stars, who won their maiden Nigerian Premier League title on the birthday occasion of the club owner, has attracted the attention of Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement posted on the State House X handle and signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Tinubu congratulated Remo Stars Football Club.
He remarked that winning the 2024-2025 Nigerian Premier Football League title is a milestone achievement that spotlights Ikenne and Ogun State.
President Tinubu describes the historic victory, four years after the team’s promotion to the elite league, as a testament to the hard work, discipline, and unyielding spirit of the players, the coaching crew and the management.
He admires the team’s resilience and perseverance, noting their courage in pursuing success despite three previous near misses in the race for the league title.
He hopes their example will inspire other Nigerian clubs to pursue their dreams continuously with tenacity and optimism.
He also commends the vision and commitment of the club’s owner and chairman, Kunle Soname.
His investment in grassroots football—exemplified by the construction of the state-of-the-art stadium in Ikenne—has provided a vital foundation for the growth of sports in Nigeria.
As Nigeria’s champions, Remo Stars have become Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF Champions League. President Tinubu urges the team to deploy the same undaunted spirit and focus to win continental honours.
He calls on football fans across Nigeria to rally behind the team as they carry the nation’s hopes onto the African stage.
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