WAFU-B U17 Championship: Ambassador Endoni urges Golden Eaglets to deliver for Nigeria

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, His Excellency Ambassador Syndoph Paebi Endoni, has urged the Golden Eaglets to win the WAFU-B U17 Championship for the millions of football supporters across the country.

Ambassador Endoni delivered the message at a dinner held for the team and its officials at the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou on Friday evening, ahead of the tournament’s opening on Saturday.

The Golden Eaglets begin their campaign against Niger Republic on Wednesday, with Endoni encouraging the players to embrace the responsibility of representing Nigeria and to raise the country’s profile at the competition.

“I welcome you to the Nigeria House in Ouagadougou, the Embassy of Nigeria in this country. There are millions of young footballers waiting for this opportunity to represent Nigeria,” Ambassador Endoni said.

“You have come here to represent Nigeria. I therefore charge you to fly Nigeria’s flag higher and higher. Win for us. Win for the millions of football-loving Nigerians all over the world.

“You may make mistakes on the pitch, but you must correct them immediately and ensure that you win all your games. We are a blessed country. We are united, and we are a very strong nation. We must get it right from the scratch, using these young footballers as good examples.

“Nigeria will continue to be strong when we encourage these young ones to take their minds off criminality, and football is key in this regard.”

Endoni also spoke about his own sporting background, revealing that he was a former basketball player and the founder of Royal Hoopers Basketball Club in Port Harcourt. The club later became Rivers Hoopers.

He told the players to make the most of their chance to represent Nigeria, while stressing the importance of the team’s example to young people in the country.

The ambassador also promised that Nigerians living in Burkina Faso would offer strong backing during the championship. He said thousands of Nigerians reside in the country and that he would mobilise the community to attend the matches and support the team at the stadium.

“I want to assure you that Nigerians here will be at the stadium to support the team. We have thousands of Nigerians in this country. The Nigerian community will give the team huge support in all its matches in the championship,” he concluded.