Secondus, Shaibu Hail Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Triumph

Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, and Director-General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS), Comrade Philip Shaibu, have congratulated Nigeria’s Flamingos following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Nigeria defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final to win their maiden title and become the first African nation to lift the trophy.

In his congratulatory message, Secondus described the victory as a landmark achievement that had brought immense pride and honour to Nigeria and the African continent.

He commended the players for their courage, determination, discipline and patriotism, noting that their triumph demonstrated the enormous potential of Nigerian youths when given the right support and opportunities.

Secondus particularly praised the team’s resilience, recalling how the Flamingos recovered from their opening-match defeat to Poland to win their subsequent six matches and emerge champions.

He also applauded the coaching crew, technical officials and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their contributions to the historic campaign.

The former PDP chairman urged the Federal Government, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to increase investment in grassroots sports development, stressing that the victory should inspire greater support for young talents across the country.

Similarly, Shaibu described the Flamingos’ triumph as a deserving gift to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in recognition of his administration’s support for sports development.

He said the victory was particularly significant following the Super Falcons’ triumph at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and Nigeria’s impressive performances at other international competitions.

According to Shaibu, the Flamingos had set out to play seven matches in Morocco and achieved their objective despite losing their opening game, before recovering to record six consecutive victories, culminating in their defeat of Japan in the final.

“With world football administrators seated in the stadium, it was a compelling time once again to be proudly Nigerian,” he said.

The NIS boss congratulated the players, coaching crew, backroom staff, NFF and National Sports Commission (NSC), urging Nigerians to emulate the team’s commitment, discipline and dedication.

Although he declined to make any pronouncement on possible government rewards for the champions, Shaibu expressed confidence that President Tinubu would not disappoint the players.

He added that the Flamingos’ achievement would serve as a source of inspiration to other Nigerian athletes representing the country in the green-white-green colours.