19th February, 2013
Victorious Super Eagles have so far cashed in over N900 million (about $5.6 million) as gifts for winning the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON.
A compilation of the monetary gifts showered on the team after the victorious outing at the Nations Cup showed that telecommunications tycoon, Michael Adenuga has so far made the biggest single donation to the African champions when he redeemed his $1m promise to the team soon after they were received by President Goodluck Jonathan on arrival from South Africa.
MTNFootball.com reports that Emeka Ofor and three other top business captains each gave out $500,000, which comes to another $2 million.
The Federal Government doled out the sum of N150m to the team, while another business mogul, Aliko Dangote, splashed N130m (about $800,000.)
Delta State Government gave the Eagles a total of N81m, while Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola hosted the champions splashed N59m on them.
Apart from the cash, the Federal Government gave out a plot of land each to Eagles and the coaches in Abuja, which is valued at about N10m a plot, while Delta State gave Coach Stephen Keshi a duplex in Asaba. Keshi was also given a Range Rover Sport and Toyota Camry by Adenuga.
Similarly, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States have announced they will host the team during the World Cup qualifier against Kenya in next month in Calabar.
Akwa Ibom State Information Commissioner, Aniekan Umannah, and the Youth and Sports Commissioner for Cross River, Patrick Ugbe, made the announcements.
Umannah said the plan is to have the indigene of the state, who wore the captain’s arm-band in the AFCON final, Vincent Enyeama, present when the Eagles are hosted.
Ugbe, whose state hosted all the qualifiers of the team, said he was delighted that the team have won the trophy and Governor Liyel Imoke is eagerly waiting to receive the trophy by March 23, when the 2014 World Cup qualifier is played.
“When no one believed in this team, we did and they have proved us right, now is the time for the government and people of the state to say well done and do more for Nigeria,” he said.