Lagos — In keeping faith with President Umar Musa Yar'Adua's knack for accountability and transparency, the Board of the Local Organising Committee of the on-going FIFA Under-17 World Cup has directed all its organs to immediately retire the about N900million (Nine Hundred Million Naira) that has been released to it to date

At the end of its 15th meeting on Friday, November 6, the Board of the LOC noted with satisfaction the enthusiasm that Nigerians have shown towards the success of the tournament so far and expresses its appreciation for the support the championship has gathered from the generality of the people, particularly the media.

In a statement jointly signed by Bolaji Adebiyi, chairman of the Print Media Committee and Aishat Falode, chairman of Broadcast Media Committee on behalf of the Board, It noted the warm reception and hospitality that Nigerians have accorded foreign guests, players, officials and tourists since the commencement of the tournament.

"The LOC noted that although the tournament has witnessed some organizational lapses, it is, however, confident that such challenges are continuously addressed and corrected accordingly," observed the statement.

It expressed profound gratitude to the governors of the host cities, and the Minister of FCT who have contributed greatly in providing necessary infrastructure and enabling environment for the tournament to hold, especially in the area of security, sanitation and massive mobilization of their citizens.

"It is on record that most of the tickets for the tournament were bulk-purchased by the State Governments and subsequently distributed free of charge to the people, with the result that most of the stadia are usually filled to capacity," stressed the statement.

While thanking members of the National Assembly, especially the Senate and the House committees on sports for their understanding and support, the LOC expressed its appreciations to President Yar'Adua and his vice, Goodluck Jonathan for their unflinching support for the tournament.