The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare will host members of the victorious Flying Eagles squad to the WAFU U20 Tournament and the all-conquering scrabble team to the West African championships today in Abuja.
The Flying Eagles beat the Benin Republic 3-1 in Friday’s final of the WAFU U20 tournament in Niamey, Niger Republic while the Nigeria Scrabble team swept the stakes at the West African championships in Accra, Ghana.
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The Minister spoke to both teams immediately after their resounding successes in Niamey and Accra, commending them for making the nation proud.
In Accra, Nigeria’s Eta Karo emerged as the Championships’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the Nigerian team won the top nine places, emerging as the best country in the competition.
The Minister had visited the scrabble team on the eve of their departure to Ghana and urged them to be worthy ambassadors of the nation, a charge that has now been followed through.
The President of the Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF) Olobatoke Aka thanked the minister for his support and promised that his federation will ensure Nigeria maintains her status as a global leader in the sport.
In his chat with the Flying Eagles after their victory, the Minister expressed his delight with the team’s performance and for restoring the nation’s pride at age-grade competitions.
He, however, charged them to stay committed to the greater goal, which is qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2023.
The Flying Eagles beat the defending African Champions Ghana 2-0, drew 2-2 with Burkina Faso, edged Cote D’ivoire 2-1 after extra time in the semi-finals before the convincing 3-1 win over the Benin Republic in the final.
By Esosa Osa
