Nigerian Football
ODEGBAMI MAKES CASE FOR BITRUS BEWARANG, A FORGOTTEN HERO OF USA ’94
BY SEGUN ODEGBAMI
Last Monday night was another memorable day in the annals of Nigerian football. Eleven of the 22 players that represented Nigeria and became the first Nigerian national team to qualify and play at the World Cup finals, were re-assembled and celebrated again as national heroes at an event organised by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The players had put up stunning performances in 1994 that left the world salivating for more of their kind of unbridled and unadulterated African version of attacking football down the flanks with a deadly centre forward to finish up the moves. Match after match, the team put up champagne performances.
At the point during the celebrations, the players were invited to the stage to be decorated. Sunday Oliseh rightly observed that there wasn’t going to be special tributes for each member, separately.
He took the microphone from the Master of Ceremony and gave his colleagues befitting acknowledgments. Oliseh was being humble by saying very little about himself.
As we left the venue of the event, Bitrus Bewarang was by my side deep in thought, a pall over his face. Something was obviously disturbing him.
It is not too many Nigerians that would recall the name Bitrus Bewarang. He did not reign much as a national player even though he was with the squad in 1977 when he was invited to the national team from Standard FC of Jos.
His greater fame was as a very distinguished coach for one of the great teams of the mid to late 1980s in Nigeria – JIB Rocks FC of Jos. Following recommendations by Onochie Anibeze, a close friend to Clemens Westerhof, Bewarang was hired to assist him in 1992.
Westerhof loved the facts that Bitrus trained as a coach in Germany and was reputed to be a complete gentleman and a knowledgeable coach.
The other coach Westerhof invited to work with him was Christian Chukwu, former captain of the Green Eagles. His past football leadership quickly got him the job. He also wanted someone that could relate well with the mainly Igbo players.
So, when Nigeria qualified for and went to the World Cup in 1994, Bitrus and Christian were firmly embedded in the squad.
I had to ask him what the matter was with him when everyone else was filled with laughing and celebrating faces. ‘What is wrong Bitrus?’ I asked.
In a quiet undertone, with his voice hardly heard above the silence, Bitrus answered me: ‘they have done it again? They have forgotten about us. Nobody remembers to acknowledge anyone of us, we the coaches. If the NFF omitted to recognize us, should Oliseh and Eguavoen who both spoke, not have acknowledged all that they did?’
He was right. He continued: ‘it is Sunday Oliseh that even reminded everyone of Clemens Westerhof. It is very good that Sunday did that, but he should also have told them what we also did for them every step of the way till the end’.
I understood. I could feel his pain. I remembered vividly what roles he, in particular, played. I remember because, I was an integral part of that 1994 team. I was the Team Manager (a position and title that have been removed from the national team since after me) from 1993 to 1995.
Those were the most glorious years of football of that era. I was quietly and effectively in charge of the welfare of the players and the technical crew of the Super Eagles. Not many people remember that too.
In those two years, I was not in any body’s face. I do not blame anyone for not remembering my role in the team. I was doing my job without attempting to have to compete for popularity with the superstar players in the public space. It was their turn to bask in the sun.
What I did for the players, for which they will owe me for life, was document and keep film footages, documentaries, interviews and general shots of the players at various locations during the entire period of the World Cup.
I was with the team. I was part of them, every inch and every minute of the way, from Tunisia ‘94 to USA ’94. I was usually first at their training grounds and last to leave. I was first on their bus rides to venues and the last to disembark. I was first at meals and last to finish. Everywhere that I went I carried with me a video camera recording every breath.
Many of those pictures are still in my archives to date. They are historical evidences of some of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history.
‘Dodo Mayana’ (Peter Rufai), cool, calm and collected always… until he met Roberto Baggio.
Ben Iroha, efficiently playing the flank ten years ahead of some of the best players of that same style in today’s modern football.
Uche Okechukwu, the meanest, toughest, coolest and, probably, the best libero in the world at that time.
Sunday Oliseh, undoubtedly one of the best passers of the ball, long and short, in the world at the time.
‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, the young prodigious football artist and master dribbler.
Finidi George, probably the best crosser of the ball from the right flank in the World Cup.
Rashidi `Yekini; lanky, fearless, peerless and a deadly striker of the ball with both feet and his head.
There were the other great players too – Dan ‘the Bull’ Amokachi, Thompson Oliha, Chidi Nwanu, Emmanuel Amuneke, Mike Emenalo, Augustine Eguaveon, Uche Okafor, and so on. That was a genuine assembly of football geniuses.
Bitrus Bewarang was in this galaxy of Stars. With Westerhof, a White man in charge, how would anyone have remembered this quiet, unassuming, gentle, Black assistant coach, who said little, did a great deal, and never rocked the boat to draw any attention?
So, I completely empathise with Bitrus Bewarang.
I can testify, however, that after we arrived America for the first match in Boston, it was agreed that instead of having all the coaches, plus Bonfrere Jo, attend Nigerian matches and overpopulate the Nigerian bench, it would be a better and more productive idea to have them both spy for Westerhof.
Clemens then drew up a travel roster for two of the three coaches – Bitrus Bewarang and Jo Bonfrere – to go to watch other matches involving the other teams in Nigeria’s group, and to come back with detailed reports on the team’s pattern, style of play, strengths and weaknesses, dangerous players, and so on.
I recall that after the first round of matches, Clemens, who was my very good friend, called me aside and told me how impressed he was with the quality of reports submitted by Bitrus Bewarang on the teams, whose matches he went to cover. Clemens told me of his new respect for Bewarang.
Bitrus, of course, is a complete gentleman, never raising his voice beyond a whisper. Hardly ever getting angry and showing it. He is a ‘background man’, a perfect assistant, a team player, and a dependable helper.
Before he joined the national team, Bitrus had been coach of JIB Rocks FC of Jos and later Plateau United FC under the chairmanship of late member of the NFA board, Chief Layi Olagbemiro.
Onochie Anibeze of Vanguard Newspapers recommended Bitrus for engagement by Westerhof in the national team during its most glorious years in the late 1980s.
He was a certificated coach with a license from West Germany.
Since joining the Nigeria Football Association, as one of the national coaches, he had remained in the system, as steady as a rock.
When we met in Brazil for the World Cup in 2014, he had risen to become the Technical Director in charge of all the national coaches, a position he secured after several interviews and examinations where he excelled.
So, Bitrus has never been recognised or publicly acknowledged for his little or large contributions to the making of the Super Eagles.
I understood Bitrus’s pain after the awards. His name should have been mentioned at least. That, he deserved.
This is my own small way of appreciating him on behalf of all Nigerians, for the role he played in the making of history 25 years ago at USA ’94. Bitrus Bewarang, I hail you o!
As the countdown begins for the commencement of the 2026/27 Nigeria’s lead football league’s season, strategic partners of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), GTI Asset Management & Trust Limited, have welcomed plans by the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to significantly increase the prize money for Nigeria’s top-flight football competition, describing the move as a major step towards strengthening the domestic game.
The proposed increase, recently announced by the country’s football authorities, is expected to enhance competition among clubs and improve the league’s attractiveness to investors and corporate sponsors.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, GTI’s Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba, said the initiative demonstrated a renewed commitment by Nigerian sports administrators to reposition the NPFL as a commercially viable and globally competitive league.
“GTI commends this progressive initiative. Increasing the NPFL prize money sends a strong statement of intent that will undoubtedly motivate clubs, improve competitiveness and send the right signals to investors and stakeholders about the future of Nigerian football,” Ekejiuba said.
He added that additional financial support from the NSC would further strengthen league operations and accelerate ongoing reforms.
GTI, which has been involved in the league’s restructuring and commercial development over the past four years, also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting efforts aimed at transforming the NPFL into one of Africa’s leading football competitions.
According to Ekejiuba, the company has worked alongside the NPFL Board to improve corporate governance, enhance commercial opportunities and increase investor confidence in the league.
“The contributions of GTI Group cannot be overlooked. Over the last four years, we have remained steadfast in supporting the NPFL and helping to lay the foundation for a more structured, commercially viable and globally competitive football league,” he said.
The company stressed that collaboration among the NSC, NFF, NPFL Board and private-sector stakeholders would be critical to sustaining progress.
While welcoming the planned increase in prize money, GTI cautioned that deeper structural reforms would still be required to unlock the league’s full potential.
“It is not yet time to celebrate because there is still a great deal of work to be done,” Ekejiuba said.
He identified improved governance, club licensing, infrastructure development, broadcast production, content and data management, financial accountability and fan engagement as key areas requiring continued attention.
GTI said its long-term objective remains the creation of an accountable and transparent football ecosystem capable of attracting greater corporate investment and sponsorship into Nigerian football.
The company also noted that the current financial value of the NPFL, including the recently announced grant support, represents only a fraction of the league’s potential earnings.
“This collaboration between the NSC and NFF further complements the efforts of the NPFL Board and GTI. We welcome more partners to join this transformation journey because the current value, including the grant recently announced, represents less than two per cent of the league’s overall potential revenues which we expect to unlock over the next five years,” Ekejiuba said.
The latest endorsement from GTI comes as stakeholders intensify efforts to improve the commercial profile of the NPFL and position it as a stronger contributor to the growth of Nigeria’s football industry.
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Prominent Nigerians from all walks of life gathered at Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, Modakeke, on Friday to pay their final respects to former Super Eagles coach and ex-Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, whose burial rites drew dignitaries from across the country.
The solemn ceremony attracted top government officials, traditional rulers, political leaders, academics, philanthropists, religious figures, business executives, retired civil servants, former Nigeria internationals and football administrators, all united in celebrating the life and legacy of one of Nigeria’s most influential football personalities.
Tributes poured in for the late tactician, remembered as a pioneer who broke barriers for indigenous coaches in Nigerian football. Onigbinde was the first Nigerian coach to lead the country’s senior national team to the Africa Cup of Nations final and the first indigenous coach to take the Super Eagles to the FIFA World Cup finals.
Clergy members who officiated at the funeral service described the Modakeke High Chief as a man of integrity, discipline and service, whose influence extended beyond Nigeria to the global football community.
Beyond his achievements with the national team, Onigbinde served as Technical Adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and later rose to become a Technical Advisor to FIFA.
Representing the NFF, former Super Eagles captain and current Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, paid glowing tribute to the late coach, describing him as a mentor who played a significant role in shaping his football career.
“Chief Onigbinde had a tremendous impact on my footballing career,” Eguavoen said. “He was a pathfinder who elevated the status of indigenous coaches through his intellect, professionalism and dedication to the game.
“The NFF recognises and appreciates his immense service to our country. He rose to the pinnacle of the coaching profession through hard work, discipline and commitment. He was a towering figure in coaching, not only in Nigeria but globally.
“He was the first Nigerian to lead our Eagles to silver medals at the Africa Cup of Nations and the first indigenous coach to guide the team at the FIFA World Cup. Even after retirement, he continued to contribute immensely as a resource person during NFF coaching programmes. His legacy is enduring and impressive.”
Eguavoen added that the nation and the football community would continue to cherish the contributions of the late coach while praying for the peaceful repose of his soul.
Former Nigeria captain and member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Dr Felix Owolabi, also extolled Onigbinde’s qualities, describing him as a courageous leader, an exceptional mentor and a man of unquestionable integrity whose knowledge of football earned him widespread respect.
Among those present at the funeral were former NFF General Secretary Ambassador Fanny Amun, NFF Director of Communications Dr Ademola Olajire, former Super Eagles captain Mutiu Adepoju, representatives of the Osun State Government, traditional rulers, former international players and ex-members of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, where Onigbinde made a lasting impact both as coach and administrator.
Dignitaries, football administrators, former internationals, traditional rulers and community leaders attend the burial rites of former Super Eagles coach and ex-Nigeria Football Federation Technical Director, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, at Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, Modakeke, Osun State, on Friday, paying tribute to one of Nigeria’s most influential football figures.
The Nigeria Football Federation also demonstrated its support for the family by making a financial contribution towards the funeral arrangements.
Widely regarded as one of the architects of modern Nigerian coaching, Chief Onigbinde leaves behind a rich legacy of service, excellence and pioneering achievements that helped shape the development of football in Nigeria and beyond.
For many gathered in Modakeke on Friday, the farewell was not only a burial ceremony but also a celebration of a life devoted to the growth of the beautiful game.
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Nigerian Football
Osimhen Clarifies Absence from Super Eagles Friendlies, Dismisses Transfer Speculation
Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has moved to clarify the circumstances surrounding his absence from the Super Eagles’ forthcoming international friendly matches against Poland and Portugal, insisting that recent comments by head coach Eric Chelle were misunderstood.
The Galatasaray forward will not be part of Nigeria’s squad for the two high-profile friendlies this month, a development that sparked speculation after Chelle suggested that the striker was focused on resolving issues relating to a possible transfer.
While explaining the absence of key players from his squad, Chelle remarked that Osimhen could be on the verge of changing clubs, prompting widespread reports linking the Nigerian star to a move away from Turkish champions Galatasaray.
“We miss two players because Victor Osimhen may be about to change clubs,” Chelle had said.
The comments fuelled fresh speculation about the future of the 27-year-old striker, who has been linked with several top European clubs following another prolific season in Turkey.
However, Osimhen has now sought to calm the situation, revealing that he personally contacted the Super Eagles coach to discuss the remarks and clear up any misunderstanding.
In a statement posted on his Instagram Story, the Nigerian international stressed that Chelle’s comments had been taken out of context and did not reflect any intention to create controversy surrounding either his future or Galatasaray.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Eric Chelle regarding the comments about me in his recent interview,” Osimhen wrote.
“Unfortunately, his words have been taken out of context and blown out of proportion. He has great respect for Galatasaray, follows most of our games, and never intended to create any controversy.
“I appreciate the conversation, the opportunity to always represent my country, and I look forward to continuing to work with him. He is a great coach whom I respect a lot, and I kindly ask everyone to disregard the speculation surrounding this matter.”
Osimhen’s statement effectively confirms that his absence from the friendlies against Poland and Portugal should not be interpreted as a sign of tension with the national team setup. Rather, it appears to be a mutually understood arrangement as the striker manages personal and professional commitments during the transfer window.
The former Napoli star remains a central figure in Chelle’s plans as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
For now, the Super Eagles will take on Poland and Portugal without their leading marksman. Still, Osimhen has reaffirmed both his commitment to Nigeria and his strong working relationship with the national team coach.
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