The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, has praised the players and officials of the U17 women’s national team, Flamingos, following their triumphant campaign at the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

 The Flamingos, led by Coach Akeem Busari, secured the trophy on Sunday morning with a commanding 4-0 victory over Togo in the final. The triumph capped a perfect tournament for Nigeria, who won all five of their matches, scored 17 goals and conceded just two.

 Captain Harmony Chidi opened the scoring with two first-half penalties before Oluebube Umejiaku added a third in the 67th minute. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi completed the emphatic victory with a goal in the 90th minute.

 Nigeria began their campaign with a 5-0 victory over Niger Republic before defeating rivals Ghana 4-2. They subsequently overcame Burkina Faso 2-0 and hosts Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 to reach the final, where they completed their unbeaten run against Togo.

 Reacting to the achievement, Ikpeme commended the team’s performance and expressed confidence that the Flamingos could build on the success at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco next month.

 “The Flamingos have done very well, made the nation proud and I have this faith in the players that they are not done yet. I have confidence in the team to go to Morocco and achieve great things at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup that is starting next month.

  “It is no mean feat to win five matches out of five in a tournament. That is a distinction. The NFF is appreciative of the WAFU-B headquarters for organising the tournament as a premium preparatory event for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, and I believe the Flamingos have benefitted immensely ahead of the global competition,” Ikpeme said.

 The victorious Flamingos, who won the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, are expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday.