Thousands of sports fans in Abuja on Wednesday converged on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport to welcome the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup champions, Golden Eaglets.
The Eaglets had won the title in Chile on Sunday after defeating Mail 2-0 in the final match, for Nigeria’s fifth title win.
The fans cheered lustily as the players and their officials disembarked from the plane which brought them from Lagos, where they had earlier been received on arrival from Chile.
The Eaglets were later taken in a motorcade on a road show on some major streets of Abuja metropolis.
Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut, while welcoming the Eaglets at the airport, had said the players have further entrenched Nigeria on the world football map.
He said this was by Nigeria setting the record of winning the title back-to-back, after having won in 2013 in the UAE.
“The boys have put us above other countries in Africa and in the world, since they are the first country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup back-to-back, and this is why we are celebrating.
“Nigeria is the best country and that is why we are celebrating this arrival,’’ Yakmut said.
He added that President Muhammadu Buhari, who returned to the country’s helm of affairs on May 29, has come with lots of good luck for the country.
“President Buhari is one president that comes with lots of luck for this country.
“In the last three weeks, it has been sports successes for us across the whole world in every sports Nigeria participated in, and we are looking forward to more,” Yakmut said.
He disclosed that the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalong, would host the Eaglets to a dinner later in the day at the Transcorp Hilton.
Yakmut said President Buhari would later receive the Eaglets on a date to be fixed later.(NAN)
