Ex-Super Eagles skipper and coach, Christian Chukwu, has hailed the impact of late ex-president, Shehu Shagari in the county’s football.
Shagari passed on last week aged 93 and has since been buried according to Islamic rites.
Nigeria hosted and won their first Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 under the leadership of Shagari.
Speaking from Enugu, Chukwu said the transition of football from amateurism to semi-professionalism was enabled by the reward package he (Shagari) donated to the players, adding the Nations Cup victory opened a new vista, motivated and encouraged younger people to start playing football.
“His death is a sad one but thank God that he died at a very ripe age and was accorded rites of passage,” the ex-Enugu Rangers coach revealed.
“He changed the face of sports in this county. In 1980, he was the first Nigerian president that won the Africa Cup and was also the first President that showered players with houses, cars, money and other national award.
“Since then the face of football changed in Nigeria. We transited into semi-professionalism and football became a thriving industry that everybody now started to play. We are sadly going to miss him,” Chukwu said.
He also added that the legacy pioneered by Shagari changed their lives and became a benchmark that future national team players that excel on international assignments began to reap from subsequent administrations.
“We got duplexes at FESTAC Lagos, money, Peugeout 504 salon cars and national honours. Those things changed our lives, till today we are still enjoying the fruits of sports. The money also had value because the exchange of the Naira relative to dollars was strong”.
