The Chief of Staff to the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic, Alhaji Abba Kyari, was at the head of a delegation of prominent Nigerians and top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation that received the Super Falcons on arrival in Abuja on Sunday evening.
9-time African champions, Super Falcons, flew into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport minutes before 4pm, aboard an ASKY Airline flight from Accra, and were received by Kyari, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar as well as other officials of the NFF.
The Super Falcons edged a resilient South African Banyana Banyana side 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes, to lift the top African women football diadem for the third successive time and ninth time overall.
Alhaji Kyari commended the girls for a job well done, praising them for their tenacity, energy, determination, and patriotic fervour.
“On behalf of Mr. President, who is not in the country at the moment, we say welcome and well done to you,” Kyari said during his address to the girls at the Starview Hotel in Abuja.
“We are proud of you and your representation of the country. In fact, as we were leaving the airport, two eminent Nigerians called and donated the sum of N50million and N25 million respectively to your team. Please rest very well. We will get back to you with the activities lined up for you in the coming days.”
According to the thenff.com, the two eminent Nigerians who donated money are Alhaji Aliko Dangote (Chairman of Dangote Group) and Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu (Chairman of BUA company).
It was also learnt that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello, will host the team on Monday, 3rd December 2018.
Sanusi, also added: “On behalf of the leadership of the NFF, we are grateful for the support from the Nigerian Government which has seen the team excel at the Cup of Nations.
The girls have promised to do their best to represent the country very well at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”