30 Years After Atlanta ’96, Uba Sani Redeems Land Promise To Amokachi, Lawal, Babayaro
Former Super Eagles stars Daniel Amokachi, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Babayaro say Governor Uba Sani has fulfilled a 30-year-old promise made to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medalists by giving them plots of land and naming streets after them.
Speaking to newsmen after inspecting the ongoing Ahmadu Bello Stadium project on Tuesday, Amokachi recalled that federal and state governments made several promises to the Dream Team after winning gold in 1996 that were never redeemed.
He disclosed that Governor Sani has now given him, Lawal and Babayaro plots of land 30 years after, and directed that streets be named after those from Kaduna State who had not been immortalised.
“We lacked the words to thank the Governor for his kind gestures and his promise to duly reward veteran footballers and coaches in their lifetimes,” Amokachi said.
Lawal, former professional footballer and ex-General Manager of Kaduna United, described the Ahmadu Bello Stadium as a world-class facility that will meet FIFA standards when completed.
“Now, Super Eagles will not have to go to Uyo to train. Now, this one is right here at my door mouth. It’s a wonderful project and by the Grace of God, we shall come and unveil it by November,” he said.
Babayaro noted that Governor Sani has reunited the football family in Kaduna and revived football in the state.
“Coming to the stadium and seeing the edifice and the very amazing work that is going on here, I can not but admit that he is indeed a political conundrum,” the former goalkeeper said.
He recalled doubting the land allocation at first.
“The first time that Garba Lawal called me and sent me the papers for the land, I doubted it.
“The next thing that came to my mind was that maybe they needed us to come for one elaborate event and use it for some political whatever. But guess what, nothing of such came up.
“That means, he gave us those lands because he is that awesome. He did not say that ‘I am giving this land, come and say thank you on TV or come and do one political campaign or the other,'” Babayaro said.
Responding, Governor Sani thanked the football veterans for their contributions to sports development in Kaduna State.
“Kaduna is the leading footballing state in Nigeria. We have produced more stars that have gone out of the country and made their marks globally,” he said.
He noted that the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, built in 1964 with 16,000 capacity, had deteriorated so badly that the last CAF tournament played there was in 2016 when Super Eagles played Egypt.
According to him, he had to appeal to President Bola Tinubu to hand over the facility to the state, promising to demolish and rebuild it.
“But today, I am happy to say that Ahmadu Bello Stadium when completed will be 33,000 capacity,” Sani said, adding that its pitch will be a hybrid of natural grass and synthetic and will be FIFA-standard.
“When completed, Ahmadu Bello Stadium will be the only stadium in Nigeria with a FIFA-standard pitch. Only last week, I was reading the number of stadiums in Africa that are CAF-standard. In Nigeria, there is only one stadium. When you are talking of FIFA-standard, we don’t have any, not even the Uyo stadium,” he said.
Sani said Kaduna is investing heavily in sporting facilities because football generates huge revenue, citing the $20-24 billion made by the US from the last World Cup in hospitality and transport, and Morocco’s $1.4 billion from hosting AFCON.
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