Works and Housing Minister, Babatunda Raji Fashola has hailed the book, ‘Super Eagles @70…Soaring On the Wings’ written by Kunle Solaja, a renowned author and sports journalist. 

The anniversary of the first composition of the Nigeria national football team was at the weekend as the first 17 of the eventual 18 pioneering national team footballers was announced on 26 June 1949 by the Selection Committee of the then Nigeria Football Association, (NFA). 

The book which chronicles the Nigerian national football team from inception in 1949 till date is supported by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). 

In acknowledging the receipt of a copy of the book, Mr. Fashola remarked: “I write with deep pleasure and gratitude to acknowledge the receipt of your delightful book … and to say that chronicling of 70 years of the growth and achievements of our dear country’s foremost soccer ambassadors, especially at this time, is both refreshing and morale-boosting.”

Continuing, the pace-setting former governor of Lagos State wrote: “The uniqueness of the book, I must say, lies in its historic outlay with memorable photographs and nostalgia evoking texts on the foundation members of the team, who motivated by sheer patriotism and love for their country, played barefooted to bring honour and glory to our nation.

“It also manifests in the exciting nuggets of information about historic moments in the evolution of the national team and even its colours which has over the last 70 years transmogrified from plain green and white to the variegated and designer varieties.”

In the letter personally signed by the sports-loving former governor, Fashola, a legal luminary congratulated Kunle Solaja for the “unique effort to document and put in very illuminating perspective our country’s worthy 70 years of soccer history.”