President Bola Tinubu has received the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following their silver medal-winning campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
The president hosted the team at the State House Council Chambers on Tuesday, a few hours after the players arrived in Nigeria from Abidjan.
On Sunday, Nigeria lost 2-1 to the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON final held at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan.
Nigeria took the lead in the match after William Troost-Ekong scored a powerful header in the first half, but Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller scored in the second half for the Ivorians.
All members and officials of the Eagles were in attendance at the state house.
The Super Eagles arrived in the country in the early hours of Tuesday.
The players were welcomed by a sizeable crowd of people with miniature Nigerian flags. The fans clapped and cheered as the players descended from the plane.
Meanwhile, AlexIwobi has been a victim of online attacks by trolls on social media following his performance in the final.
The backlash worsened as the Fulham FC midfielder deleted almost all his Instagram posts.
Ahmed Musa, the Super Eagles captain, had to call on Nigerians to stop ‘cyberbullying’ his trammate, adding that Iwobi “gave his all on the field, just like every member of our squad”.
William Troost-Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Kenneth Omeruo and other members of the Eagles squad also threw their support behind Iwobi.
