Fallen Eaglet, Njengo, laid to rest amid tears

It was a day of deep mourning on Saturday as the remains of 17-year old Friday Njengo, a member of the U-17 National Team, Golden Eaglets, were committed to mother earth in his hometown, Kaltungo, Gombe State.

The journey began on Friday with officials of the Nigeria Football Federation and some family members taking possession of the corpse from the National Hospital, Abuja.

The delegation to Gombe was led by Member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, and included Chairman of the Gombe State Football Association, Alhaji Auwalu Musa Umar, Vice Chairman of Gombe FA, Mohammed Manzo, NFF Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Rafiu Yusuf, Eaglets’ Head Coach, Coach Manu Garba, Eaglets’ Team Administrator Tayo Egbaiyelo, Gombe State FA Secretary, Mallam Ahmed Sada, Mallam Munir Tijani Shittu of NFF Media Unit and some officials of Gombe and Bauchi State Football Associations.

After a brief stop at the house of late Njengo’s uncle, Mr. Mikah Kumat, Idayan Kaltungo, the delegation headed to the palace of the Emir of Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed, with the Chairman of Kaltungo Local Government having joined the train. The Emir, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Gombe State Council of Chiefs, was actually at the National Hospital, Abuja to see the player on his sick bed before his demise.

It was wailing and tears all through as the boy’s remains were committed to mother earth later in the day.

Friday Njengo, who was a regular in the Eaglets’ squad before an auto accident on February 3,2013 on his way to Calabar for the team’s first phase of final camping ahead of the 2013 African U-17 Championship in Morocco, attended various schools in Bauchi, Kaduna and Kaltungo, and was a member of the Yarma Light Football Academy before his call to the U-17 National Team.

He is survived by his mother, three sisters and two brothers.