Chairman of Air Peace Airline, Mr Allen Onyema, has fulfilled his pledge of N20 million to the Super Eagles following Nigeria’s victory over the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on Tuesday.
Onyema had promised to reward the Super Eagles with N20 million should Nigeria beat Cape Verde in a 2022 World Cup qualifier, and the three-time African champions secured a 2-1 victory in the game played in Mindelo.
The Super Eagles, who flew to and from Cape Verde in one of Air Peace’s ultramodern Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, received the cheque for N20 million upon arrival on Wednesday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Onyema congratulated the players on the second win in their World Cup qualifiers campaign and charged them to maintain the tempo and qualify for the World Cup.
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He expressed delight that the Super Eagles did not disappoint the nation, adding that “we believe in your capabilities and have faith in you”.
His words: “I am happy that you fulfilled your promise to the nation, knowing that you carry the aspirations of Nigerians on your young shoulders. When you were one-zero down, everybody was panicking. Everybody was praying. And you responded like lions and won the match. There were celebrations all over the country- North, South, East and West”.
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He stated that Air Peace believes in the team and will continue to support them to take Nigerian football to greater heights.
In an interview, captain Ahmed Musa, who said he enjoyed flying the brand new E195-E2 aircraft, thanked Onyema for his kind gestures towards the team and stressed that Onyema’s unity speech really inspired them.
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Onyema had earlier urged the players before the trip to Cape Verde to use their football strides to unite Nigerians, emphasising the unifying power of sports.