Eagles’ former star, Ebunam, urges Buhari to reward Nigeria’s first world champions, CKC Onitsha

Eagles veteran and Schools World Cup winner, Arthur Ebunam, is making frantic efforts to get President Muhammadu Buhari reward Christ the Kings College (CKC), Onitsha, the first African team to win a global soccer trophy.

Ebunam said: “The President Muhammadu Buhari I know loves soccer. I just want to tell him that CKC, Onitsha won the Schools World Cup in 1977, the first Nigerian and indeed African team to rule the world. The players deserve reward.”

CKC, captained by Nnamdi Nwokocha, won the International Schools Sports Federation Championships, Dublin ‘77 after defeating teams from Luxembourg, France, Finland, The Netherlands and Turkey and got only Presidential handshake from Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I read in the papers that President Buhari gave out houses promised the Eagles for winning the African Nations Cup in Tunisia. That’s awesome. No one is fighting for CKC 1977, world champions, first team in Africa to win such a coveted trophy”, Ebunam stated.

He feels Buhari has listening ears saying: “Yes, I know the President will listen to us. Records are there. It was under him in 1984 that Nigeria won a first Olympic silver medal and that fetched the winner 40,000 US dollars. Bronze medalists got 20, 000 dollars each.

“ You see Buhari has special love for Onitsha, I do not know why. He was close to Chukwuma Azikiwe and promised him that work on Zik’s tomb would be completed.

Remember, his first Attorney General was Chike Offodile and now work is on going at the Second Niger Bridge,” the ex-Eagle said. Ebunam won the African Winners Cup with Rangers, earned a degree from Clemson University South Carolina and played for Jos Standard, BCC Lions Gboko and El Kanemi, Maiduguri.

Some of his CKC team mates were Okey Ozo, Sam Igwenagu, Pat Ikeagu, Sylvester Ezeani, Val Nnadi, Raph Offodile, Tony Okolonji, Ugo Nebedum, Ben Uzoka, Emma Egu, Mbanefo Chukwurah, Amaechi Igweobi, Charles Oguemesina, Paul Obiakor and Peter Ogbodo.