Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has fulfilled a 30-year-old promise made to members of Nigeria’s 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medal-winning football team by allocating plots of land to three Kaduna-born members of the squad and naming streets after them.
Former Super Eagles player Daniel Amokachi disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists after inspecting the ongoing reconstruction of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.
Amokachi said federal and state governments had made several promises to members of the “Dream Team” after their historic 1996 Olympic triumph, but many of the pledges were never fulfilled.
He said Governor Sani had now allocated plots of land to him, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Babayaro, 30 years after the promises were made.
According to him, the governor also directed that streets be named after members of the team who had not previously been immortalised.
Amokachi, a former professional footballer and football manager, thanked Sani for the gesture and for his commitment to rewarding veteran footballers and coaches during their lifetimes.

Another former Super Eagles player, Garba Lawal, described the ongoing renovation of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium as a world-class project that would meet FIFA standards when completed.
“Now, Super Eagles will not have to go to Uyo to train. Now, this one is right here at my doorstep. It’s a wonderful project and, by the grace of God, we shall come and unveil it by November,” Lawal said.
Former goalkeeper and Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Babayaro said Sani had brought together Kaduna’s football community and helped revive the sport in the state.

“Coming to the stadium and seeing the edifice and the very amazing work that is going on here, I cannot but admit that he is indeed a political conundrum,” Babayaro said.
He recalled initially doubting the authenticity of the land allocation when Lawal sent him the documents.
“The first time that Garba Lawal called me and sent me the papers for the land, I doubted it,” Babayaro said.
He said he initially suspected that the beneficiaries might be expected to attend a political event in exchange for the gesture.
“But guess what, nothing of such came up.

“That means, he gave us those lands because he is that awesome. He did not say that ‘I am giving this land, come and say thank you on TV or come and do one political campaign or the other,’” he said.
Responding, Sani thanked the football veterans, coaches and administrators for their contributions to the development of sports in Kaduna State.
He said Kaduna remained one of Nigeria’s leading footballing states, having produced numerous players who had achieved international recognition.
“Kaduna is the leading footballing state in Nigeria. We have produced more stars that have gone out of the country and made their marks globally,” he said.

Sani said his administration was determined to restore Kaduna’s prominence in Nigerian sports.
He recalled that the last CAF football tournament hosted at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium was in 2016, when the Super Eagles played Egypt.
According to him, the poor condition of the stadium prompted him to approach President Bola Tinubu for its transfer to the state government.

Sani said the stadium, which was built in 1964 with a 16,000-seat capacity, would be transformed into a modern 33,000-capacity facility.
“I made it very clear to him that I will demolish the stadium, which had 16,000 seating capacity and was built in 1964,” he said.
He said the new stadium would feature a hybrid grass and synthetic pitch and would meet international standards upon completion.
Sani further said Kaduna was investing heavily in sports infrastructure because of the economic benefits associated with major sporting events.

He cited the economic impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the United States and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Morocco as examples of the revenue-generating potential of major sporting tournaments.
The governor said the state government would continue to invest in facilities capable of attracting major domestic and international sporting events.