The coach of the Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, has once again appealed to the government and good people of Cross River State to fulfill the pledges of houses made to the players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Manu painfully regrets that the unfulfilled promise remained a sour point for not only the team members but also 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 10 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 since 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 the camera and in the presence of the then Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi 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 the 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.
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