Shehu Sani, a former Nigerian Senator and activist, has called out the National Football Federation (NFF) after paying a courtesy visit to former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles star, Daniel Joshua, who has been bedridden for 15 years.
Senator Sani, who visited the player in Kaduna, alleged that the former Eagles star, who sustained a spinal cord injury on his way to the Minna Eagles camp on an invitation by the NFF, has been abandoned by the football federation.
While sharing pictures from the visit on his Twitter account, Senator Sani claimed that Daniel Joshua was only gifted ₦500,000 by the NFF, after which he was subsequently abandoned.
He added that although the Niger State Government, under the leadership of Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, initially footed the treatment bill for the player, they stopped after some period of time.
He wrote, “Yesterday, I paid a courtesy visit to Daniel Joshua, Ex-Nigerian International who played for the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles. He has been bedridden for 15 years in Kaduna after sustaining a spinal cord injury as a result of a car crash that happened when he was driving to the Minna Eagles camp, on the invitation of the @thenff.
“The Niger State Government, under the leadership of Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, graciously paid for his treatment up to a certain point and then stopped. The NFF just gave him ₦500,000 and abandoned him to his fate.
“The man who suspended signing a multimillion-euro contract with Atletico Madrid to come and play for his country has been neglected by the sporting authorities of his country. The MON National Honours award holder scored a major goal in the Korea 2007 World Cup victory.”
He, however, enjoined the new Nigerian Government and new NFF leadership to come to the aid of Daniel Joshua and other sportsmen and women in their trying times.
“Our government demands patriotism from our sportsmen and women and abandons them in their moments of need.
This new government and the new leadership of the @thenff should come to his aid and others in similar situations,” he added.
