Sports
Profiles Of The Glory-Chasing Golden Eaglets
John Obuh has chosen 21 players to attempt to retain the Fifa Under-17 World Cup trophy for Nigeria, starting today in Abuja.
Here is a pen pix of all 21 glory hunters for the Golden Eaglets.
PLAYER PROFILES
NAME: Dami Danjuma PAUL
DATE OF BIRTH: 18/12/1992
CLUB: OUSFORD ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
First choice goalkeeper who showed great poise and agility all through the preparation period.
NAME: Aigbe OLIHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/02/1993
CLUB: IGBINO BABES FC (NIGERIA)
Defender with great concentration and ability.
NAME: Mohammed Goyi ALIYU
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/02/1993
CLUB: NIGER TORNADOES FC (NIGERIA)
Lanky defender who has flair for joining the attack.
NAME: Ogenyi Eddy ONAZI
DATE OF BIRTH: 25/12/1992
CLUB: MY PEOPLE FC (NIGERIA)
Talented midfielder who hails from Benue State in the North Central region. Attended Township Primary School, Jos.
NAME: Fortune CHUKWUDI
DATE OF BIRTH: 18/11/1992
CLUB: A & B ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Team captain who defends with resolution. From Mbatoli Local Council of Imo State.
NAME: Kenneth Josiah OMERUO
DATE OF BIRTH: 17/10/1993
CLUB: HARD FOUNDATION (NIGERIA)
Lion –hearted defender who attended LEA Primary School, Jabi and hails from Ikwuano Local Council of Abia State.
NAME: White George AGWUOCHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 13/01/1993
CLUB: KWARA UNITED FC (NIGERIA)
One of few players in the Nigeria team who has experience from playing in the top division. Midfielder with vision and plenty of action.
NAME: Stanley Osaretin OKORO
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/12/1992
CLUB: HEARTLAND FC (NIGERIA)
Nicknamed ‘Little Messi’, another highly –experienced performer, who at his young age was instrumental to Heartland FC of Owerri’s qualification for the prestigious CAF Champions League final.
NAME: Abdul Jeleel AJAGUN
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/02/1993
CLUB: DOLPHIN FC (NIGERIA)
Discovered during the annual Shell Cup competition, Ajagun is on the books of Premier League returnees Dolphin FC of Port Harcourt. Visionary midfielder with a good shot.
NAME: Olanrewaju Ayobami KAYODE
DATE OF BIRTH: 08/05/1993
CLUB: MARVELLOUS FC (NIGERIA)
Bustling striker who hails from Odo-Owa Local Council of Ekiti State. A fighter in the attack
NAME: Terry ENVOH
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/12/1992
CLUB: MIGHTY JETS FC (NIGERIA)
Has useful experience from playing for the crowd –pulling Jos team, which used to be in the top division. Envoh is one of the players being looked upon to deliver this championship to Nigeria.
NAME: Chukwujike MGBAM
DATE OF BIRTH: 22/04/1992
CLUB: STANDARD FC ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Another lion –hearted defender who attended God’s Favour International School and is from Abia State
NAME: Omoh OJABU
DATE OF BIRTH: 14/12/1992
CLUB: DOLPHIN FC (NIGERIA)
Ajagun’s team –mate at Dolphin FC. Powerful shooter who scored five in the 14-1 demolition of Qatari Sports Club in a friendly in Doha.
NAME: Sani Shehu EMMANUEL
DATE OF BIRTH: 23/12/1992
CLUB: MY PEOPLE FC (NIGERIA)
Attacking midfielder who also loves to defend. Like Ojabu, hails from Etsako Local Council of Edo State
NAME: Yusuf Olaitan OTUBANJO
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/09/1992
CLUB: EMMANUEL AMUNIKE ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Supporting striker who attended Solan Primary School and is from Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State.
NAME: Amos Ossai IZUCHUKWU
DATE OF BIRTH: 09/12/1993
CLUB: TEAM LAGOS (NIGERIA)
One of the goalkeepers, who also showed great agility during preparation.
NAME: Obinna Emmanuel OKORO
DATE OF BIRTH: 30/12/1992
CLUB: YOUNG STARS FC (NIGERIA)
Defensive midfielder with great skill and audacity. He hails from Onicha Local Council of Ebonyi State, and attended Town School, Emene.
NAME: Edafe EGBEDI
DATE OF BIRTH: 05/08/1993
CLUB: BISALLO FC (NIGERIA)
Fast–paced winger who is one of Coach Obuh’s aces.
NAME: Deji Mayowa JOEL
DATE OF BIRTH: 23/11/1992
CLUB: ECO ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Good midfielder who distributes well. From Ifelodun Local Council of Kwara State.
NAME: Ramon Olamilekan AZEEZ
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/12/1992
CLUB: FUTURE PRO ACADEMY (NIGERIA)
Another talented midfielder, from Iwajowa Local Council of Oyo State.
NAME: John FELAGHA
DATE OF BIRTH: 27/07/1994
CLUB: ASPIRE ACADEMY (QATAR)
Young John Felagha attended Kpansia Secondary School, Yenagoa and was discovered by Moses Aduku, then made the cut to be taken to the world–renowned Aspire Academy, Doha after the Nigeria finals in 2007. He joined the Nigeria team when they went for their final preparation camp at Aspire in October.
THE TECHNICAL CREW
HEAD COACH: Sam John OBUH
ASSISTANT COACH 1: Monday ODIGIE
ASSISTANT COACH 2: Abimbola SAMUEL
GOALKEEPERS’ TRAINER: Suleiman SHUAIBU
TEAM DOCTOR: Charles AGADU
TEAM PHYSIOTHERAPIST: Ejike Victor ONYEMEANU
TEAM COORDINATOR: Garba LAWAL
TEAM SECRETARY: Sirajo HASSAN
EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Shehu ADO
CAMP COMMANDANT: Oriola MICHAEL
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.