Babalola Oluwatomiwa
Social Member
A member of the Nigeria's U17 team that won the maiden edition of the FIFA U17 world cup in China, Binabei Numa, has expressed happiness on hearing the news of President Muhammadu Buhari for promising to reward the Golden Eaglets 30 years after winning the championship in 1985.
Numa told the News Agency of Nigeria that he was filled with joy when he heard the news.
The retired player, who played as a defender when Nigeria won the World Cup, said, “I must say that it was commendable remembering old people who have made the country proud. I can say that the President is out for the real change in Nigeria.
“I see that the President is a man that has his people at heart, remembering to fulfil his promise and to honour us after 30 years. Yes, it is a good development in the game of football.
“I cannot believe that after 30 years that this unbeatable team can still come together for celebration. I believe this will go a long way in encouraging the young ones.
“I can still remember most guys in the team. Some are into sports academy and others are manager of clubs.”
On development of football in the country, the Bayelsa United team manager called for grassroots development of players, especially in the primary and secondary schools.
He said, “Poor foundation gives birth to poor performance in the game. We must strengthen the development of football in the country.
“Children these days no longer play football, rather they go about playing computer games.
“In our own time we watched and played football matches, now it is no longer like that. You cannot even see children of 8-10 years in the street playing football.”
Numa told the News Agency of Nigeria that he was filled with joy when he heard the news.
The retired player, who played as a defender when Nigeria won the World Cup, said, “I must say that it was commendable remembering old people who have made the country proud. I can say that the President is out for the real change in Nigeria.
“I see that the President is a man that has his people at heart, remembering to fulfil his promise and to honour us after 30 years. Yes, it is a good development in the game of football.
“I cannot believe that after 30 years that this unbeatable team can still come together for celebration. I believe this will go a long way in encouraging the young ones.
“I can still remember most guys in the team. Some are into sports academy and others are manager of clubs.”
On development of football in the country, the Bayelsa United team manager called for grassroots development of players, especially in the primary and secondary schools.
He said, “Poor foundation gives birth to poor performance in the game. We must strengthen the development of football in the country.
“Children these days no longer play football, rather they go about playing computer games.
“In our own time we watched and played football matches, now it is no longer like that. You cannot even see children of 8-10 years in the street playing football.”