Bayan shekara arba'in da uku da ƙungiyar ƙwallon ƙafa ta ƙasa ta Nigeria ta ƙarƙashin shekaru 20 ta 1983, Flying Eagles, ta rubuta tarihi a Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya ta FIFA ta U-20 a Mexico, membobin da suka tsira daga wannan ƙungiya suna neman gwamnatin tarayya ta maida alkawarin tallafin karatu da ba'a cika ba zuwa kuɗi.
Alkawari da aka ɗauka kafin tafiya
Kafin ƙungiyar ta tashi zuwa Mexico, gwamnatin tarayya ta karɓi bakuncin 'yan wasa a bikin bankwana a Dodan Barracks, Lagos. A can ne Shugaba Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari na lokacin ya sanar da cewa kowane ɗan ƙungiyar zai sami tallafin karatu. Shugaba Shagari kuma ya ba 'yan wasan da jami'ansu kyautar girmamawa ta ƙasa ta Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).
Karkashin jagorancin marigayi Chris Udemezue a matsayin koci da marigayi Ali Jeje a matsayin kyaftin, Flying Eagles sun zama ƙungiyar Nigeria ta farko — ta manyan ko ƙananan — da ta buga wasannin karshe na Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya ta FIFA. Suna wasa a Rukuni D, sun doke Soviet Union 1-0 a wasansu na farko, Tarila Okorowanta ya zura ƙwallon da ya zama na farko da Nigeria ta zura a Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya ta FIFA. Daga nan suka sha kashi 3-0 a hannun Brazil kafin su yi kurgi 0-0 da Holland a wasansu na ƙarshe na rukuni, sun kare da maki huɗu amma suka rasa matakin zagaye da ƙaramin banbanci.
Shekaru da yawa na alkawari da ba'a cika ba
Gwamnatin tarayya ba ta cika ɗaya daga cikin alkawaran biyu ba har zuwa yau. Aƙalla membobi shida na ƙungiyar sun mutu tun daga lokacin, ciki har da masu tsaron gida Wilfred Agbonavbare da Raymond King, dan tsakiya Chris Anigala, da kyaftin Ali Jeje, wanda ya rasu a ranar 12 ga Disamba 2007 ba tare da ya sami tallafin karatu ko lambar yabo ta MON ba.
A matsayin shaida na ƙarfin haɗin kan wannan ƙungiyar, membobin da suka tsira sun haɗa kai don biyan kuɗin karatu na ɗan Jeje, Abdul Rahman Jeje, a shekara ta 2024 — suna cike gurbin da gwamnati ta gaza. 'Yan wasan yanzu suna roƙon gwamnatin tarayya ta gane hidimar su, sadaukarwarsu, da amincin su ga ƙasa kafin ƙarin membobi su tafi.
Taurarin Flying Eagles na ci gaba da yin bege
Paul Okoku, mataimakin kyaftin na ƙungiyar wanda yanzu yana zaune a Amurka, yana jagorantar ƙoƙarin neman a gane su. Kwanan nan ya shirya cikin bikin mako ɗaya na FIFA Legends and Diaspora Celebration da Birnin East Point, Georgia, ya shirya a matsayin wani ɓangare na ayyukan FIFA World Cup 2026 da FIFA Hospitality Programming.
