“I Am Open To Recall, But Getting A Club In Europe, My Priority” – Haruna Lukman |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

Former Golden Eaglets 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup winning Captain in South Korea, Haruna Lukman, hasn’t shut the door on a Super Eagles recall.

The Former Monaco Football Club of France midfielder, revealed that he was open to a recall into the Super Eagles fold which he last played competitive football for at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Lukman who is presently unattached to a Club after ending his contracts with Ararat Yerevan Football Club in the Armenian League, said that his priority is to get a Club and move back to Europe in the December-January European transfer window.

Lukman who played for the National team in all tiers, both at the Junior and Senior Level said that he is poised on returning to Europe, but hasn’t shut the door against a call up into the Coach Gernot Rohr led Super Eagles Team as they resume qualification series by March 2021 for the African Cup of Nations and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The former Dynamo Kyiv Football Club of Ukraine midfielder made this known to this  medium during a friendly match between Lukman’s led All Star Team that comprises of Ex Internationals against Ramond International Football Club at the Alade Mini Stadium in Command Area of Lagos State.

The match ended 2-2 with Lukman scoring a superb freekick to give his team the much needed equaliser.

Lukman came into limelight under Late Coach Yemi Tella who made him Captain of the triumphant Under-17 Golden Eaglets in 2007, and also played for the Flying Eagles at the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

He went further to feature for the Under-23 Dream Team Eagles, and graduated to the Super Eagles where he played at the 2010 African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola and at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Led by the National Party Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, the members urged President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC- led Government to urgently rescue the students, and save their parents and the nation from untold anxiety and pains.

Over six hundred of the students, all boys, were abducted by, according to the State Governor, Aminu Masari, local bandits. About 17 of them escaped, and returned home.

But it turns out that the claim by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, that his group abducted the boys, is true.

Masari had, in a television interview, on Wednesday, dismissed Shekau’s claim.

But Thursday afternoon, Shekau released the photographs of the boys as proof he has them in his custody.

The abduction of the boys from President Buhari’s Katsina triggered a combination of outrage and national shame.

They were abducted hours after Buhari arrived Katsina on a week-long private visit.

More outrage greeted Buhari’s inability to visit the school to condole with the parents, the people and the school authorities.

Instead, his aides released a photograph of the President, visiting his cattle at his ranch.

Inexplicably, an official delegation flew in from Abuja on a condolence visit to the Government and people of Katsina. The delegation did not visit the President at his residence.

Mr President has yet to address the Nation on the abduction of the students.

He gave the usual marching orders for their rescue. Nothing has been heard since then about the boys, except Masari’s assurance that none of them has been killed.