Nigerian Football
HOW STATIONERY STORES BECAME ‘SUPER STORES’
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Officially, the name of the hitherto Lagos fanatically supported club is Stationery Stores Football Club of Lagos. But ithe club which clocks 60 this week has been variously called some other names.
In fact when the Daily Service edition of March 28, 1959 published the list of clubs that were to compete in the newly formed Lagos Commercial League, the club was listed top as ‘Stationery Wanderers’.
The club secretary was named as Mr. A. Adeoye. Being the brainchild of Israel Adebajo, it was not a surprise that the club was also nicknamed the “Adebajo Babes”.
That step was apparently followed by another foremost sports and general philanthropist, Bashorun MKO Abiola, who christened his 1980-acquired Ewekoro Cement Football Club ‘Abiola Babes’.
Another name that the club is called was ‘Flaming Flamengoes’. This is even reflected in its emblem. It may have emerged from the manner the club’s fame and influence spread like a wild bush fire.
But the commonest of the nicknames of the club is that of ‘Super Stores”. According to the late Babatunde Oshuntolu, he was the architect of the name.
He wrote that when Stores won the inaugural edition of the Oba Cup in grand style by beating one of the more popular clubs in Lagos, ECN, by 5-1 in the final; he chose to adapt his headline of the story in the Daily Express from the one he got in the British Daily Express when Scotland surprisingly beat England in Wembley after a succession of defeats.
“It was a Saturday. And the next day’s issue of the broadsheet, London Daily Express carried this headline on its eight-column back page: “Super Scots”!
“Only two weeks later, Stationery Stores whipped ECN (which later became NEPA) 5-1 at the Lagos City Stadium (later Onikan Stadium), in an Oba of Lagos Cup final widely predicted to be very keen.
The next day’s issue of the Daily Express in Lagos screamed “Super Stores!” Oshuntolu wrote that that tag had been accepted since then”.
The club had indeed been super, setting the pace in certain ways as the first to get yearly promotion from its foundation year as a division three side, to becoming the last to win a major trophy in Lagos – the War Memorial Cup – as well as being the first to win the replacement trophy – the Oba Cup.
There were even greater feats- as the first privately owned club to win the Nigeria national cup, the Challenge Cup in 1967 as well as the first club to represent Nigeria in the continent in 1968.
There were even more! Stationery Stores was the first Nigerian club to introduce club camping when the team camped in Ikorodu for two months; as well as being the first to provide a bus to its squad.
It was not just the first Nigerian club side to go international, it was the first to develop a close relationship with a foreign club when it started a home and away series with Ghana’s Accra Great Olympics.
It also had a wider recruitment drive than any other Nigerian club, sourcing for talents nationwide as well as combing the West Coast of Africa for the best available players.
That way, the club was able to assemble a dreaded side that brought players like Peter Anieke, Tony Igwe and many other players from Jos Plateau, Peter Amaechina from Ibadan, Peter Fregene from Amukpe and players of Ghanaian and Togolese extractions like Willie Andrew and Adoquaye Laryea among others. When the club won the Challenge Cup in 1982, beating Niger Tornadoes 4-1in the final, it became the first national division three side to do so.
For the meritorious services rendered to sports in Nigeria, Israel Adebajo who passed on in 1969 was in 1980 given a post humours award of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Second Republic president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari.
Nigerian Football
Naze Community to Honour Late Super Eagles Legend Henry Nwosu with ‘Clash of Titans’ Novelty Match
By Joseph Odoekwu
The Naze community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State will on Sunday, April 5, stage a novelty football match in honour of their late son and former Super Eagles midfielder, Henry Nwosu.
The event, tagged “The Clash of Titans,” will see Naze All Stars square off against Imo Football Legends at the Naze Secondary School field, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. on Easter Sunday.
Details of the tribute match emerged following a training session held on Thursday morning at the venue, where former players and participants in the long-running Henry Nwosu Cup resolved to take the lead in celebrating the legacy of the late football icon.
Naze All Stars will be made up of indigenes of the community who have featured in the Henry Nwosu Cup since its inception in 1985, while the Imo Football Legends side will parade notable ex-footballers from across the state.
The Ikuku Oma Foundation is organising the match in collaboration with the Naze Football Federation as part of activities to immortalise Nwosu, whose grassroots initiative transformed local football in the community.
Since its establishment over four decades ago, the Henry Nwosu Cup—played annually during the Christmas period—has grown into a major unifying and entertainment platform for Naze and neighbouring communities such as Ulakwo, Agbala and Egbu. Beyond football, the competition has also fostered social bonds, with several marriages reportedly stemming from relationships formed on matchdays.
There are also strong indications that Heartland FC manager and former Super Eagles winger, Emmanuel Amuneke, could lead the Imo Football Legends side in Sunday’s encounter, adding further glamour to the occasion.
Members of the Naze All Stars who have confirmed participation include Ikuku Oma, Prof. Joe-Ken Nzerem, Ejike Urewuji, Nda Gboko, Oga Ekete, Oga Sarge, Oga Cho Cho, Man of God, Baba Urch, Oga Eshi ke Naze, Chief Agba I, Mmiri the Crown Prince (goalkeeper), Mr. Obiọma, Alkaline, among others.
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The Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday inaugurated its Electoral Committee and Electoral Appeals Committee ahead of elections into its Executive Committee for the 2026–2030 term.
NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau performed the inauguration at the federation’s secretariat in Abuja, charging members to carry out their responsibilities with integrity, neutrality and professionalism.
Gusau urged the committees to discharge their duties without bias, stressing the importance of credibility in a process that will shape the future leadership of Nigerian football.
Speaking on behalf of the committees, Matthew Burka’a assured stakeholders that the exercise would meet the highest standards of transparency and fairness.
“We will approach this task with the seriousness it deserves. On behalf of all the members, I assure the NFF, football-loving Nigerians and the world at large that we are going to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable election,” Burka’a said.
He added that the committees were mindful of the global attention on the process, including from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football, and pledged to deliver what could become a benchmark for future elections within and beyond football administration.
Committee Composition
The Electoral Committee comprises Matthew Burka’a (SAN), Alhaji Babagoni Grema, Bature Musa, Ayibaye Peter Great Temedie and Akogun Olugbenga Omole, with Arinze Azubuike Anughele and Abayomi Akin Omoyimi serving as alternate members.
The Electoral Appeals Committee is made up of Hon. Justice C. J. Aneke, Benjamin Sati and Professor Abdulmalik Awwal, with FIFA Emmanuel Dada Obafemi and Ayi Ekpo Ukpayam listed as alternates.
In line with NFF statutes, the General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, will serve as secretary to both committees.
Election Date Fixed
The NFF also confirmed that elections into its Executive Committee will take place on September 26, 2026, in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by key stakeholders, including Philip Shaibu, NFF First Vice President Felix Anyansi-Agwu, Executive Committee members Silas Agara and George Aluo, alongside senior management and staff of the federation.
With preparations now formally underway, attention will turn to the electoral process as stakeholders await what has been promised as a transparent and credible exercise to usher in a new leadership era for Nigerian football.
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Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, will rekindle rivalries with Poland and Portugal in high-profile international friendlies scheduled for June, marking only the second time the Nigerian team will meet the two nations at the senior level.
The fixtures come on the back of Nigeria’s recent international outings in Antalya, Turkey, where they defeated Iran and held World Cup-bound Jordan to a 2-2 draw, signalling renewed optimism within the squad despite missing out on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, the Super Eagles will first take on Poland on June 3 at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, before travelling to Portugal for a second clash on June 10 at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Renewing Rivalries
Nigeria’s previous encounter with Poland remains a positive memory. On March 23, 2018, the Super Eagles secured a 1-0 victory in Wroclaw, courtesy of a 61st-minute penalty converted by Victor Moses after he was fouled in the box. The match served as preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
However, their only senior meeting with Portugal tells a different story. On November 17, 2022, Nigeria suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to the European side in Lisbon, with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice, while Gonçalo Ramos and João Mário added further goals in a dominant display.
That result remains one of Nigeria’s most crushing defeats the Super Eagles have ever suffered since the 1998 5-1 loss to the Netherlands.
Portugal’s World Cup Tune-Up
The upcoming clash will also serve as a crucial preparatory fixture for the Portugal national football team, who will head into the game as part of their final build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
For Nigeria, however, the matches represent an opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition and rebuild confidence after missing out on the global showpiece.
Beyond the June friendlies, the Super Eagles are also scheduled to participate in the Unity Cup Tournament in London from May 26 to 30, where they will defend their title. The traditional teams of the tournament include Ghana and Jamaica.
The combination of competitive fixtures and high-level friendlies is expected to provide the head coach and technical crew with a broader platform to assess players and refine tactics ahead of future international engagements.
With mixed results in recent outings but flashes of promise, the upcoming matches against Poland and Portugal could prove pivotal in shaping Nigeria’s next phase on the international stage.
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