Nigeria’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso, His Excellency Syndoph Paebi Endoni, has challenged the Golden Eaglets to win the WAFU-B U17 Championship and make millions of football-loving Nigerians proud.

Ambassador Endoni delivered the message while hosting the Nigerian team and their officials to a dinner at the Nigerian Embassy in Ouagadougou on Friday evening, ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on Saturday.

The ambassador, a former basketball player and founder of Royal Hoopers Basketball Club in Port Harcourt, which later became Rivers Hoopers, urged the young players to seize the opportunity to represent Nigeria with pride and distinction.

“I welcome you to the Nigeria House in Ouagadougou, the Embassy of Nigeria in this country. There are millions of young footballers waiting for this opportunity to represent Nigeria,” Endoni said.

“You have come here to represent Nigeria. I therefore charge you to fly Nigeria’s flag higher and higher. Win for us. Win for the millions of football-loving Nigerians all over the world.”

He acknowledged that mistakes could occur during matches but stressed the importance of learning quickly, correcting errors and maintaining the determination to win every game.

“You may make mistakes on the pitch, but you must correct them immediately and ensure that you win all your games. We are a blessed country. We are united, and we are a very strong nation,” he added.

Endoni also highlighted the importance of youth development and the role of football in providing positive opportunities for young Nigerians, urging the country to invest in and encourage its emerging talents.

“We must get it right from the scratch, using these young footballers as good examples. Nigeria will continue to be strong when we encourage these young ones to take their minds off criminality, and football is key in this regard,” he said.

Ahead of the Golden Eaglets’ opening match against Niger Republic on Wednesday, the ambassador assured the team of strong support from Nigerians living in Burkina Faso.

He disclosed that thousands of Nigerians reside in the country and pledged to mobilise the Nigerian community to turn out in large numbers to cheer the team throughout the competition.

“I want to assure you that Nigerians here will be at the stadium to support the team. We have thousands of Nigerians in this country. The Nigerian community will give the team huge support in all its matches in the championship,” Endoni concluded.