Former Nigeria head coach Clemens Westerhof has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to move a national housing allocation granted to him in 2019, saying serious security threats have made the property unsafe to occupy.
Property Considered Unsafe
Westerhof, the coach who guided the Super Eagles to the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations title and Nigeria’s first FIFA World Cup appearance, said the home assigned to his family is in Gwagwalada, close to Kuje in the Federal Capital Territory. He said kidnapping fears and wider insecurity around the area have left the property uninhabitable.
In an open letter to President Tinubu and the Nigerian public, the Dutchman said he had received firm warnings not to live at, or even travel to, the location. He stressed that his request was not for a more expensive home or preferential treatment, but for the national honour already conferred on him to be made usable without putting his family at risk.
- Westerhof said the allocation should be enjoyed in safety rather than remain inaccessible because of fear.
- He asked the Federal Government to consider transferring the property to a more secure part of Abuja.
Allocation Linked to 1994 Team
The housing promise was initially made to members of the celebrated 1994 Super Eagles squad and the officials who managed the team. Although Westerhof’s own allocation was completed in 2019 during the previous administration, security problems on the FCT’s outer edges have prevented him from taking possession in person.
The 80-year-old coach said he had spent the last year pursuing a solution through government procedures, but those efforts had not produced a result. His attempts included a direct meeting in Abuja with the then Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.
He subsequently sent a formal petition to the serving minister, Engineer Muttaqha Rabe Darma, asking for the allocation to be reassigned to a safer district within the capital.
Appeal for Presidential Intervention
With no official decision forthcoming, Westerhof has now placed the matter before President Tinubu and is seeking his intervention to exchange the Gwagwalada property for accommodation in a safer location.
Despite the unresolved housing issue, the veteran coach reaffirmed his strong feelings for Nigeria. He described his time leading the national side from 1989 to 1994 as one of the greatest blessings of his life.
