… Abuja indigenes claim responsibility for Eagles’ failure

• NFF apologises to Govt, Nigerians

A group, which claims to be the indigenous people of Abuja, has said that Nigeria will never win any match at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, because the stadium is sitting on the graves of their ancestors.

The group, Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Projects, accused the Federal Government of neglecting the natives and forcefully seizing their lands without compensating them.

In a statement signed by Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf and Buhari Barkonun Abuja, the group claimed that since the Federal Government has failed to compensate the original occupants of the kukwaba district before their partial resettlement to kubwa, Nigeria should never expect any victory from both local and international tournament where the Abuja National stadium was used.

They also allege that the Federal Government has been treating the FCT natives like third class citizens, threatening that the “long term consequences will continue to haunt and demean Nigeria’s dignity until the age-long issues against the Nigerian government are addressed.”

MEANWHILE, the Nigeria Football Federation has tendered unreserved apology to the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria for the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for this year’s FIFA World Cup finals holding in Qatar.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi regretted that the team failed to qualify despite the enormous support of Government and the good people of Nigeria who turned out in throngs to fill up the 60,491 –capacity Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja for the clash with Ghana’s Black Stars on Tuesday.

“There was nothing the team needed that was lacking. The Government provided necessary support; the NFF put all logistics in place with the active support of the Sports Ministry and Nigerians turned out en masse to support the team. The truth is that we left nothing to chance. It is sad that things turned out the way they did.

“Sport is about winning and losing. Nobody wants to lose but sometimes it happens that way. We are quite sad that despite playing a draw in Kumasi, the Super Eagles could not win here in Abuja. We apologise unreservedly to the Government and people of Nigeria for this non-qualification.”