Sports

Ojigwe States His Mission To NFF

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2022

Former International, Karibe Ojigwe has revealed that his mission to the Nigeria Football Federation Board is to ensure that age grade and youth football in the country receives adequate attention.

Pascal Karibe Ojigwe, who is the Abia State Commissioner for Sports said the grassroot remains the fulcrum of football development in any country, and Nigeria should not be an exception.

The Ex Enyimba football club player, Ex Super Eagles defensive midfielder, who also laced his boots for FC Kaiserslautern, FC Koln (Cologne) and Bayer Leverkusen, all in Germany said Nigeria should be able to return to its winning streak if the age grade teams and the grassroots are adequately developed.

Ojigwe who played either as a defender (left back) or defensive midfielder, in an illustrious career that lasted more than a decade, said he will also support other executive members to champion the revitalization of the local league to ensure that the local clubs compete favourably with other teams in Africa.

Ojigwe who won the Under 17 World Cup 1993, the German Bundesliga 1998 and was
Runner up in UEFA Champions League, with Bayer Leverkusen against Real Madrid submitted his nomination forms on Wednesday in Abuja, and ready to face the screening committee either on Wednesday or Thursday to ascertain his eligibility to vie for the one of the two executive slots reserved for the South-East in the NFF Board. The election holds in Benin City on 30 September 2022.

Hon. Karibe Ojigwe, was born on 11th December, 1976, and started and ended his footballing career with the Peoples Elephant, Enyimba International FC in 1993 and 2007 respectively.

The Aba-born ex-footballer was part of the Golden Eaglets side that won the Japan 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and was part of the Super Eagles side at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations held in Mali (Nigeria finished with Bronze).

Ojigwe was also part of the Bayer Leverkusen side that finished second in the Bundesliga in 2002, also losing the UEFA Champions League final and DFK-Pokal final (German Cup) the same year.

Karibe Ojigwe won 17 International caps, scoring 2 goals for the Super Eagles. He holds a German citizenship.

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Sports

Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Feat Draws Musawa’s Commendation

Published

3 hours ago

November 8, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has congratulated Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat to claim Nigeria’s first title in the competition and make history as the first African nation to win the tournament.

Awawu Bashiru gave Nigeria the lead in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku extended the advantage two minutes after the restart. Japan’s Fuki Ito reduced the deficit in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian girls held on to secure a memorable victory.

In a congratulatory message was signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze on Sunday in Abuja, Musawa described the achievement as a defining moment for Nigeria and a significant milestone for African women’s football, attributing the success to the team’s resilience, talent and determination.

“This is more than a trophy. It is a story of young Nigerian girls who refused to give up, who rose after defeat, and who carried the hopes of a continent to the top of the world,” she said.

The Minister noted that the Flamingos had broken new ground by becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria also became the first African country to win both the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cup titles.

The team further achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lose its opening match and eventually emerge champions.

Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group-stage encounter, the Flamingos recovered impressively, recording six consecutive victories to lift the trophy.

Musawa particularly praised Umejiaku, who claimed the tournament’s Golden Ball award as the best player, and Bashiru for their crucial contributions in the final.

She also commended the entire squad for their discipline, teamwork and determination throughout the competition.

According to her, the victory demonstrates the creativity, courage and excellence of Nigerian youths on the global stage.

The Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the achievements and inspiring stories of young Nigerians who continue to bring honour to the country.

“Our girls have shown the world what Nigeria is made of. We celebrate you today, and we will continue to stand with you,” she added.

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