The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has appealed to members of Nigeria’s U23 Dream Team not to boycott their upcoming match against Denmark on Saturday at the ongoing Rio 2016 Olympics.
The Speaker, who appealed on Friday in Abuja, tasked the players not to boycott the all-important match tomorrow, assuring that the House will ensure that they are paid all their entitlements.
Dogara, who was speaking against the backdrop of complaints of Team Head Coach, Samson Siasia, that the players of the team have refused to train and may boycott the tie due to unpaid allowances and wages, said the Dream Team should take patriotism as a fulcrum of their campaign, as he will personally do everything within his powers to intervene in the matter.
He said the team, with the likes of John Mikel Obi, Yakubu Umar, Oghenekaro Etebor and William Troost-Ekong, has a very bright chance of repeating the feat of the Atlanta ’96 Dream Team led by the legendary Nwankwo Kanu, and the team should be encouraged by all Nigerians.
“We will do all we can to ensure that all entitlements due to the team are paid, as we are already talking to relevant government agencies,” Dogara said.
He noted that football, being the major unifying factor in the country, should be maximised by all for Nigeria’s continued joy and unity.
Dogara concluded that “we will stop at nothing to ensure that we get the team to excel in Brazil and for Nigeria to recreate the watershed of Atlanta ’96.”
