Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has fulfilled a 30-year-old promise to members of Nigeria’s 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold-winning football team by allocating plots of land to three Kaduna-born members of the historic squad.
The beneficiaries are former Super Eagles stars Daniel Amokachi, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Babayaro, who were part of the Nigerian team that won the country’s first Olympic football gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Amokachi disclosed this while speaking with journalists after inspecting the ongoing reconstruction of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna alongside other football veterans.
He recalled that following Nigeria’s historic victory in Atlanta, the Federal Government and state governments made several promises to the players, but many of the pledges remained unfulfilled for three decades.
According to Amokachi, Governor Sani has now fulfilled his own promise by allocating land to him, Lawal and Babayaro. He also directed that streets be named after members of the victorious squad who have not previously been immortalised.
Amokachi commended the governor for recognising the contributions of veteran footballers while they are still alive, saying the gesture had restored their confidence in government.
Babayaro also praised the governor for bringing together Kaduna's football community and helping to revive the state's passion for the sport.
Meanwhile, Garba Lawal described the ongoing reconstruction of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium as a major development that would restore Kaduna's position as one of Nigeria's leading football centres.
Governor Sani said his administration remained committed to restoring Kaduna's prominence in Nigerian sports and investing in sporting infrastructure capable of attracting major domestic and international competitions.
The governor said the reconstructed stadium would be transformed from its former 16,000-seat capacity to a modern 33,000-capacity facility, with a hybrid playing surface designed to meet international standards.
