“The minister has done well, I have never seen anybody since grassroot football was abandoned as a minister that thinks the way this man does and I think he has done well,” were the words of Super Eagles and Nigeria Ex-international, Taju Disu while speaking to Sports247 after the ceremonial opening of the Principals’ Cup 2021 at Agege Stadium, Lagos.
Taju Disu is a former Nigerian international who played for Baptist Academy in the Principals’ Cup also, played for the YUSFON team, the Flying Eagles in the junior world cup in 1983, the senior National team at Cote d’Ivoire ’84 where they got to the final, played for Abiola Babes and got to four consecutive FA Cup Finals and played professionally in countries like Norway Denmark, Brazil and America.
The anticipated Principals’ Cup 2021 was received ceremoniously with good reception by journalists, media, fans, football lovers and Ex-internationals as well in the ceremonial kickoff between Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos and Government College, Kaduna to launch the competition on Friday 26th February, 2021.
The event which has been clamoured for in time past after producing various Nigeria Super Eagles stars such as Taju Disu, Dosu Joseph, Daniel Amokachi and a host of others, had in attendance the minister for youths and sports, Mr Sunday Dare, NFF first Vice President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, Dr Rafiu Ladipo and many other Ex-internationals and old students of the participating schools.
“The program that happened today is the beginning of good things for Nigerian football, it’s the beginning of the rebirth of football (in Nigeria) again because in those days when we were playing back then, it was Principals’ Cup that produced many of us that then qualified Nigeria for the FIFA world Cup for the first time in 1983,” Taju Disu said.
“I played for Baptist Academy, Paul Ekoku played for St. Finbars College, Tahila Okoronwata for Greg and so on, Principals’ Cup was so vibrant. That’s why you don’t see our national teams do so well now because there’s no process (of graduation), back then there was a process graduating for one age group to another,” Taju Disu explained.
