Golden Eaglets  coach Manu Garba has yet again  called  on the  government and people of Cross River State to promptly redeem the house gifts pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team, in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Manu painfully regrets that the unfulfilled promise remained a sour point for not only the team members, but also that of its late equipment manager Muhammed Kafa, who unfortunately passed away almost a year ago, without getting the house gift promised by the Cross River state government led at that time by former governor, Liyel Imoke.

“When I remember Muhammed Kafa, one of the things that come to mind was his desire to get the house  pledged to all the  ten officials and 21 players  that won the World Cup in 2013 by the then Governor Senator Liyel  Imoke,” Garba said.” The house gift pledge has gradually paled into becoming an illusion because it has not been redeemed 11 years after Governor Imoke made the pledge in Calabar, and nine years after he left office as governor of the state. 

“To think that it’s almost a year that Muhammed left us after that ghastly accident in Kaduna without getting the house is even more painful because that was one of his dreams.

“As we remember Muhammed, I want to use this opportunity to beg incumbent Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, to redeem this pledge that was expressly  pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team by his predecessor. This is a good way he can help immortalise Muhammed and help ameliorate the pains of his family. Besides, it will be a morale booster to others to always give their best for their fatherland.”

Recall that precisely on 15th   November 2013,Governor Imoke  during  a reception inside the  state’s council chamber for the victorious FIFA U-17 World Cup  team of  2013,offered  house gifts to the 21 players and 10 officials for doing the country’s proud  in the United Arab Emirates.

 “We want to make an investment with you in property,” Senator Imoke  said in front of camera and in the presence of the then Minister of Youth & Sports Development, Mallam Bolaji  Abdulahi and other chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by the then President Aminu Maigari.

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He added amid cheers: “We have  a new housing estate  already being developed  and at the end of that  exercise; completion of those estates,  each one of you  would have a small piece of property that is your own and that  would have been fully developed; that  you can  rent out or  occupy.”

But Garba said it  was shocking that  the pledge  made  by Senator Imoke in 2013  on behalf of  the government  and people of Cross River State is yet to materialise.

“Of course, we were all excited  when Senator Imoke made the pronouncement at the Government House in Calabar when he hosted us for winning the FIFA U-17 World  Cup in 2013 but we are yet to be given the houses as promised, even though the housing estate has long been completed and occupied,” Garba said, adding that efforts made during the tenure of  Imoke’s successor, Professor Ben  Ayade bore no fruitful results.

He continued “The  FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team  of 2013 was the baby of  the Cross River State because we  were camped at  the Princeville Hotel  in Calabar for many months  and we  played all our qualifying matches there but nothing  was done  about  the house gifts during the tenure of Professor Ayade.

“But since government is a continuous process, we are pleading with Governor Bassey Otu  to use his good office  to fulfil this pledge made on behalf of the state by Senator Imoke.

“ I’m also seeking the intervention of Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, who incidentally comes from Cross River State, to ensure that justice is done on our behalf.

“ We have waited so long and  just last  year, we lost one  of us,  our hard working equipment manager, Muhammed Kafa, but   I think it will be in his good memory if the house gifts are redeemed and show that our labour of winning the World Cup in 2013 is not in vain,” added Garba.