President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday visited members and officials of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who arrived at the east African country earlier in the day only to be mobbed by Ethiopians who openly fraternised with them.
Chelsea FC of England star, Mikel Obi was the star of the attraction, as hordes of fans descended on him, posing with him for photographs, ahead of the first leg of the final round of qualifiers for Brazil 2014 World Cup, which holds in Addis Ababa on Sunday afternoon.
Visiting the players on Saturday during a training session, President Jonathan, who was in the country for the Extra Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), charged them to gun for victory and prove Nigeria’s status as a global football super power.
“Surely you will make it; the spirit is there. I wish you success. It is a determining match. We have been going to the World Cup, but this year, we are not just going to the World Cup, we will make an impact,” he said.
“The world will begin to know that we have arrived as a nation. We will give you all the encouragement required. Thank you for what you are doing for us.”
President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari thanked the president for the visit and promised victory in the encounter
“I assure you, we will be able to deliver and we will deliver,” Maigari said. “We will do our best. We have a good team. Goodluck Jonathan is the only President who has created time amidst his tight schedule to be with the super eagles twice. This is the biggest motivation and we will make you proud. We will be in Brazil.”
