Uba Sani Redeems Atlanta ’96 Pledge To Amokachi, Lawal, Babayaro

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has fulfilled a 30-year-old promise to members of Nigeria’s historic 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold-winning football team, allocating plots of land to three Kaduna-born members of the squad and naming streets after them.

The beneficiaries are former Super Eagles stars Daniel Amokachi, Garba Lawal and Emmanuel Babayaro, who were part of the Nigerian side that won the country’s first Olympic football gold medal at the Atlanta Games in the United States.

Amokachi disclosed the development on Tuesday while speaking with journalists after inspecting the ongoing reconstruction of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

The former Nigeria striker said successive governments had made several promises to members of the celebrated “Dream Team” following their historic triumph, but many of those commitments had remained unfulfilled for three decades.

He said Governor Sani had now honoured one of the outstanding pledges by allocating land to him, Lawal and Babayaro, while also directing that streets be named after other members of the Atlanta ’96 squad who had yet to be formally recognised.

Amokachi described the gesture as significant, particularly because it represented recognition of the achievements of former footballers and coaches during their lifetime.

“We lack the words to thank the governor for this kind gesture. He has shown that veterans who contributed to the development of football can still be appreciated in their lifetime,” Amokachi said.

Lawal, a former Super Eagles midfielder and ex-General Manager of Kaduna United Football Club, also commended the reconstruction of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, describing the project as a major development that could restore Kaduna’s position as one of Nigeria’s leading football centres.

He expressed optimism that the refurbished stadium would meet international standards and provide the Super Eagles with a suitable training base in northern Nigeria.

“Now, Super Eagles will not have to go to Uyo to train. This one is right here at my doorstep. It is a wonderful project and, by the grace of God, we shall come and unveil it by November,” Lawal said.

Babayaro, who was Nigeria’s goalkeeper at the Atlanta Olympics, said Governor Sani’s initiatives had helped reconnect members of Kaduna’s football community while reviving the state’s long-standing football tradition.

The former goalkeeper said he initially doubted the report that the Olympic champions had been allocated land, suspecting that the gesture could be connected to a political event.

“The first time Garba Lawal called me and sent me the papers for the land, I doubted it. I thought perhaps they needed us to attend an elaborate event for political purposes,” Babayaro said.

“But nothing of such happened. That means he gave us those lands because he is that awesome. He did not ask us to come and thank him on television or support any political campaign.”

Responding to the former players, Governor Sani praised the Atlanta ’96 heroes, coaches and other sports administrators for their contributions to football and sports development in Kaduna and Nigeria.

Sani described Kaduna as one of the country’s major football talent-producing states, noting that several players from the state had gone on to establish successful careers internationally.

“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,” the governor said.

He said his administration was determined to restore Kaduna’s sporting fortunes through sustained investment in sports infrastructure, particularly football facilities.

The governor recalled that the Ahmadu Bello Stadium last hosted a CAF-sanctioned competition in 2016, when the Super Eagles faced Egypt.

According to Sani, the deteriorating condition of the stadium prompted him to seek President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the facility to be handed over to the Kaduna State Government for reconstruction.

The ongoing project, he said, is part of efforts to return the stadium to a standard capable of hosting major domestic and international football matches.