President
Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday announced cash rewards and national honours for the
Golden Eaglets and their handlers who won the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Friday in
the UAE.
Jonathan made this known at a special reception dedicated to the
victorious Golden Eaglets. The event was held at the Banquet Hall of the
Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The reward totals N2 million to each of the team’s 19 players.
N3 million were also given to the head coach, Manu Garba, and N2.5 million each
to the two assistant coaches, Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel Amunike.
The team’s doctor, physiotherapist, secretary, and the Chief
Technical Officer received N500,000 each.
The Team Co-ordinator, Media Officer and Curator were given
N300,000 each.
The President called the cash rewards "very very little tokens" from
the federal government. What is more, he urged state governments, the
private sector and public-spirited individuals to follow the federal
government’s example and reward the Golden Eaglets.
Jonathan praised the team's dedication and spirit of
sportsmanship, pointing out that they brought honour to the nation.
According to the President's words, with the consistent winning
of five major tournaments in the last two years, Nigeria had faced its golden
era in sports.
He attributed the success in the sector to the pro-active
measures and policy action taken by his administration after the the country’s
unsuccessful performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
"The victory of the Eaglets was for the whole of
Africa and the beginning of the revival in the nation’s sports sector,” Jonathan said.
The Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, mentioned:
"The victorious Golden Eaglets team is not just a
team but a project and their winning will not be the end but a beginning of
greater victory for the nation."
A lot of honourable guests, including governors Godswill Akpabio
of Akwa Ibom, Jonah Jang of Plateau, Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Liyel Imoke of
Cross Rivers, ministers and others, were present at the reception,
Vanguard
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