Senate President, David Mark, Governor Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and others were among the prominent Nigerians who, on Friday, hailed the victorious Golden Eaglets.
Nigeria on Friday became the most successful team in FIFA U-17 World Cup history after a 3-0 defeat of Mexico at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Winners in 1985, 1993 and 2007, the Golden Eaglets made it a record fourth title win by overrunning the defending champions in a delightful match.
The final was a rematch of the 6-1 win Nigeria inflicted on the Mexicans in Group F, earlier in the competition.
Nigeria, who were also runners-up thrice earlier, are now one better than Brazil who have also won the title three times earlier.
Erick Aguirre inadvertently put Nigeria in the lead after nine minutes, when he helped in Musa Yahaya’s shot.
This was after Yahaya benefitted from Taiwo Awoniyi’s pass, off a great effort from Kelechi Iheanacho who led a Nigerian counter-attack.
Nigeria made it 2-0 in the 56th minute, when team captain, Musa Muhammed, unleashed a swirling shot which Mexican goalkeeper, Gudino, simply could not hang on to.
He spilled a rebound directly to the feet of Iheanacho who made no mistake in scoring his sixth goal of the competition.
Muhammed added a third for Nigeria with 10 minutes to go, curling a sublime free-kick into the top corner.
In his reaction, Akpabio said the teenage players’ success underlined the never-say-die spirit of Nigerians.
Akpabio, who is also the chairman, PDP governors’ Forum, praised the fighting spirit of the players and the attitude of the coaching crew which he said had paid off for the team, noting that the country had begun to regain its rightful place in international football reminiscent of the 1990s.
According to the governor, he had noticed that the team was made for success from the first game “but the comeback against Sweden, which saw them end the game 3:3 apiece showed the resilient spirit of the team.”
Akpabio also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for giving the necessary support to sports development, saying: “I congratulate Mr. President on another laudable landmark in sports. You would recall that the victory of the Super Eagles at the African Cup of Nations early this year, had marked the steady return of Nigeria’s acclaim in world football and all these are attributable to the president’s support.”
Kalu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, said the Eaglets have made Nigeria proud by winning the title and becoming the first team to do so four times.
Oyewumi quoted Kalu as saying: “In the midst of so much gloom in the country, it is heartwarming that the boys and their Coach, Manu Garba, did not lose focus but concentrated on the task before them to make the country proud.
“The victory is even sweeter when considered against the backdrop that the boys are certified to be truly under-17 and can conveniently graduate into the senior teams in the years ahead.
“Now, we are serious about rejuvenating our age grade football.”
Kalu urged the Nigeria Football Federation to ensure it keeps the team together and groom the boys into senior teams over time.
The First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, congratulated the Golden Eaglets and their handlers on their victory.
The felicitation is contained in a statement by her Media Assistant, Mr Ayo Adewuyi.
Dame Jonathan, who watched the 90 minutes encounter, described the 3-0 win by the Nigerian team against Mexico as “sweet”. “I commend the team’s versatility, accurate passes, determination and the team spirit, which was responsible for the success of the team.
“I congratulate the World Champions and praise them for making Nigeria proud.
“On behalf of Nigerian women, I want to urge the team to remain focused and work harder for future glory.’’
Senate President, David Mark, described the Golden Eaglets as “authentic heroes and future hope of the nation.’’
He made the disclosure in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, on Friday in Abuja.
Mark said: “the boys have demonstrated that with the collective will of all of us, Nigeria can be united and we can rule the World.
“I am very proud of the boys . I am very proud to be a Nigerian.
“We are united under one God and nation.’’ He said the Eaglet’s victory was a clear signal and a wake-up call on the Super Eagles that Nigeria must be in Brazil for the World Cup in 2014. Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) had promised to keep the Golden Eaglets together as a team.
The NFA Director of Competitions, Sanusi Mohammed, made the promise on Friday while reacting to the team’s victory at the UAE.
Mohammed said “the team has done very well and we are very proud of them.
“’We knew right from the onset that the team is a winning team, so we want to urge Nigerians to continue to pray for them.
“The Eaglets did not only win the cup but also have the highest number of goals (26) in the history of the tournament. “We are going to keep our eyes on these players to make sure that we keep them intact. We will also monitor them to ensure that whenever we need them, we will know where they are.’’
Sunday Okayi, a FIFA referee instructor with the NFA rated the team as excellent, adding that “with what I saw of the team, I want to say that their performance today was an excellent one, considering the circumstances they found themselves and being in a final match.
“Rating the team technically and tactically, I want to give them an ‘A;.’’
The win earned the under-17 national team their fourth title, having won the 1985, 1993, 2007 editions.
