Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has charged Team Nigeria athletes for the All Africa Games to emulate the Flying Eagles of Nigeria who were adjudged the best disciplined team in the last FIFA World Youth Championship held in Colombia, even when they did not win the cup.
The president told the athletes who departed for Maputo at the weekend to be Nigeria’s good ambassadors.
Relaying the president’s goodwill message to the departing athletes at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Sports Minister Yusuf Suleiman said that the biggest achievement a citizen of any country can aspire to is to represent his or her country at international events like the All Africa Games. He charged the athletes to be resolute in winning the gold medal and come out as one of the best in Africa.
“Nigeria is the first country to arrive Maputo and that is because we want the athletes to remain focused,” the minister said. “There will be challenges in Maputo but I want you to make maximum benefits out of the challenges. We can do better than Algiers 2007 and even better that the Commonwealth Games feat. Mr president has given us enough support to succeed and with our long preparations, I know that we will do well. But the President said that you have to shun drugs and come back to Nigeria with your heads up. We want a clean record like the Flying Eagles. They made us happy even though they did not win the World Youth Championship. But FIFA gave them the Fair Play trophy. That is the spirit I want Team Nigeria to take to Maputo.”
The Chairman of the National Sports Commission will join the team on September 1 stressing that the NSC will announce a special motivation package as soon as he gets to Maputo.