Nigeria: Golden Eaglet, Friday Njengo Dies, NFF Mourns
Nigeria's football family was thrown into mourning on Tuesday after
news filtered in that former Golden Eaglets' defender, Friday Njengo,
who had been in intensive care at the National Hospital, Abuja for more
than nine months, had died.
Njengo, a regular with the Manu Garba team during the qualifying
series for the 2013 CAN U-17
Championship, during which the Eaglets
thrashed Niger Republic, Guinea and Mali home-and-away, was involved in
an accident with team-mate Adamu Abubakar while traveling from Jalingo
to Calabar for the team's first phase of final camping for the African
Championship. The accident occurred on February 3.
"This is very sad news. We had looked forward to the boy eventually
recovering to be part of the team again as the squad progresses to the
next level. It is a thing of sorrow to lose such a huge talent this
way," NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, said on Tuesday.
While Njengo sustained head injury in the accident, goalkeeper Adamu
Abubakar was luckier and was discharged after a few days. NFF President,
Alhaji Aminu Maigari, who was at the Africa Cup of Nations in South
Africa, had ordered that Njengo be moved from the Federal Medical
Centre, Jalingo to the National Hospital, Abuja two days after the
crash.
At the National Hospital, an operation was performed on the player
and he was thought to be recovering, though still suffering from memory
lapse, until his death on Sunday night.
The Nigeria Football Federation stated on Tuesday that burial
arrangements would be announced after consultations with the family
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