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Buhari Insists Nigeria Should Not Go To World Cup In Russia As Spectator – Sports Minister

super-eagleSports minister, Solomon Dalung has given a detail of how President Muhammadu Buhari challenged him to ensure that Nigeria national football team does not go for the World Cup competition in Russia this year as spectator.
He said: “he (President Buhari) challenged me to ensure that nigeria does not go to Russia a mere spectator.”
The minister who briefed the President on the preparation of the Super Eagles for the world cup torunament and other international sports engagement by Nigeria this year, to news men that the president encouraged him to sustain, in 2018, the tempo of the successes recorded so far in2017, especially with the World Cup in Russia.
He said that part of the measures his ministry had taken to address some of challenges on the way is that by March this, all the players should be paid their match training and camp allowances upfront.
“But for the bonuses, it is in terms of progression according to performance at the World Cup.
He desribed 2018 as a sports year, saying that right from February to August, there is no dull moment.
“Right from CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN)  to African Youth Champion in wrestling taking place in Port Harcourt, to Commonwealth Games scheduled for Gold Cost, Queensland. Australia, between 4 and 15 April 2018, to Basketball, the World Cup in June and the African Championship of the Athletics Federation In Asaba.
“We need the support of the president as usual and funding as it is required to enable our teams succeed.”
Dalung said that for the commonwealth games, his ministry has all the budgetary allocations released and that they are on course.
“The athletes are in camp, they are training. We have athletes in Port Harcourt while others are in Abuja.
“The challenge basically has been lack of training facilities. As we all know training facilities has to do with infrastructural deficit in sports because of long time neglect.
“The visit I made to Lagos the athletes are in high Spirit and are maximizing the available facilities on ground to do their best but we will cap it up possibly with our budget support with foreign camping. “After reviewing what is available to us If we can Guaranteed it then we can export some of our areas of comparative advantage we will send some of our athletes to foreign countries.”