Nearly two decades after making Nigeria proud at the Africa Nations Cup in Tunisia in 1994, the Super Eagles' players and their officials to that event still reel in pains, arising from unfulfilled promises made to them by the Federal Government.

A crack Super Eagles' squad had won the Africa Nations Cup in Tunisia 1994, Nigeria's second triumph in the continental fiesta. The team followed it up with a superlative outing same year at the World Cup in the USA.

The performance, which perhaps impressed Nigerians, made the federal government under the late Gen. Sani Abacha to promise to give houses to the players and their officials for their gallant efforts.

Since then, the players have been struggling to lay their hands on the property, but have not succeeded because the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) bluntly refused to attend to their case. Daily Sunsports gathered that out of the 23 players and eight officials that got the promises, only very few have got their allocations. Those who have yet to get their own allocations, are now calling on the FHA to give them their own houses, stressing that they would want to have them before they die.

Some members of the squad, while speaking with Daily Sunsports on condition of anonymity, pleaded with the FHA to allocate them houses from the 105 units of houses that are close to Isheri Olofin Estate (Phase II) in Lagos, as the ones that were promised to them are now under litigation.

“It's heartbreaking and frustrating that after 16 years the Federal Government under General Sani Abacha promised to give us houses after we won the Nations Cup in Tunisia, the promise has yet to be fulfilled. This is something we sweated for, but somebody has been sitting on that promise and has refused to release our houses to us. “It is even worse to know that some players in our glorious squad have got their own houses, while we are left in the cold. Each day, when you wake up and remember the unfulfilled promise, you feel like cursing the nation.

“We have on our own made several attempts to see if we could get our house allocations, but every of our effort appears to have hit the brick wall.
“Last year, after the Daily Sun publication of July 3 and 24 editions, the FHA told us to come for our houses. We felt, at last, we were going to laugh at last, but on meeting them, we were told a different story.

“To say the truth, we are tired of their dribbling; FHA has dribbled us severally. All we are saying now is that they should please allocate us our houses from the 105 units of houses, which are close to Isheri Olofin Estate (Phase II). The estate is almost completed. If they could give us allocations from the new estate, we will be happy. We plead with them to stop dragging their feet on this issue.

“But come to think of it, imagine the Golden Eaglets that won the junior World Cup in South Korea in 2007 and were promised houses by the federal government have got their allocations, so, why is our case different? “Fulfilling the promise will serve as encouragement to upcoming players to give their best when they are called for national assignment,” the aggrieved squad members said.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/sports/2010/july/30/sports-30-07-2010-001.htm

Govt should please fullfil their promise to these heroes.