Oni tasks NFA on victorious Eaglets

Adeolu Adeyemo, Ado-Ekiti - 13.09.2007

Ekiti State Governor, Engr. Segun Oni on Wednesday called on the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to put in place a developmental programme that would ensure that members of the victorious Golden Eaglets are kept together.

The governor in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Moses Jolayemi, stated that the gains of the exploits of the Eaglets at the just-concluded FIFA under 17 World Cup should not be lost on the football governing body.

Jolayemi said that the standard of football in Nigeria must attain an enviable position in no distant future, members of the victorious Eaglets must be positioned to take over from the crop of players that were presently in the Super Eaglets team.

“It is good to celebrate, and we are sure to continue to celebrate the World Cup victory. But we should not allow the celebration to rub off on the needs for us to design developmental programmes that would ensure that the boys are kept together.

“That is not to say that they should be disallowed from plying their trade outside the country, but they should be guided into joining clubs that would be willing to give them the chance to represent us when we need them.

“The NFA should take a cue from the benefits that our football derived form the 1993 U-17 World Cup that we won, one of such is the gold medal that we won in football at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It is on record that the bulk of the players that gave us the gold medal was from the Fanny Amun-tutored boys and I believe we should do the same with these young lads,” the governor said.

While commenting on his earlier promise to reward the players and the coaching crew, Oni said, himself and the entire people of Ekiti State were eagerly waiting to receive the players.