• Gives house to Patrick Pascal
• Pinnick explains the decision to travel by sea
Members of the Super Eagles were in good mood on Wednesday night when the Lagos State government hosted them to a dinner at the State House, Marina.
Apart from the sumptuous dinner served by the state, the players, their officials, and some members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were given a taste of what awaits them should they make Lagos their new home.
An excited Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accompanied by members of his executive council, reminisced on the glorious days of the national teams at the Sports City and promised to continue to build facilities that would bring back the glory days of Nigerian sports.
Sanwo-Olu reminded the Super Eagles of the effect their successes and failures have on Nigerians and charged them to go to Benin Republic to make Nigerians proud.
He said: “We want you to win in Porto Novo and come back to a rousing reception.
“We decided to take you through the blue seas of Lagos to show you the beauty in our state. We want Lagos to be our own Miami, where rivers play big roles in the lives of the people.”
One of the chief beneficiaries of Wednesday’s reception for the Super Eagles is the team’s camp commandant, Patrick Pascal, a member of the 1996 Olympics gold medal-winning team, who was promised a three-bedroom flat in a new estate in Ikorodu by the governor for his services to the country.
“We are building new estates in Ikorodu and part of the infrastructures in the community are two new stadium that will serve the needs of the youths there. These will be ready before the completion of our first term,” the governor said.
Earlier, NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his efforts in turning Lagos into a modern megacity, saying the Super Eagles would like to make the state their permanent home.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu supported us to beat Cameroun at the 2019 African Nations Cup in Egypt and we know he will continue to support us.”
On the team’s trip to Porto Novo for their African Cup of Nations qualifier, Pinnick said, “We are proud to be traveling by boat because it will give the players the opportunity to see and feel the beauty of the country.
“We want to educate Nigerians that there are more means of transportation than air and road.”
