President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured members of the Golden Eaglets that won the country’s first U-17 world title in 1985 that his administration will fulfill the promises made at a reception held in their honour at Dodan Barracks, Lagos, 30 years ago.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mal. Garba Shehu, President Buhari said it had been brought to his attention that a directive he gave to state governments at the time had not been complied with.
He said: “It is a pity that those promises were never fulfilled.
“It is unfortunate that our players, who did us proud on the world stage went unrewarded for their efforts, despite a presidential directive to the state administrators that they be honored in their home states.”
The statement noted that, of the various promises made to the players at the time, only the Federal Government fulfilled its own commitment by sponsoring the players to watch the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.