By Harry Awurumibe
As the remains of former Super Eagles head coach and ex-Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, was lowered to his final resting place at the weekend in his home town, Modakeke in Osun state, Nigeria’s football in general and women’s football in particular have lost a great advocate and promoter of the women’s game.
Not many Nigerians know that the former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director was at the forefront of the early efforts made by some individuals, who believed so much in the development and promotion of women’s football in Nigeria and African continent in 1990s.
Despite holding higher positions in the country’s football system, Onigbinde, still accepted the appointment to serve in the 14-man Female Football Development Committee of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) now NFF in the formative years of women’s football.
In order to tap from his immense technical knowledge, the NFA Executive Board, in its wisdom in its meeting in October 3, 1996, held in Abuja approved the appointment of Onigbinde and 13 others into the first-ever NFA Female Football Development Committee to draw up the road map for the development and promotion of women’s football in Nigeria both at the clubs and national team levels.
Other members of the Committee were Chief (Mrs) Gina Yeseibo (Chairman), Chief Igbinese G. Ekhosuehi (1st Vice Chairman), Mr. Samson Tunde Adeoti (2nd Vice Chairman), Chief Adegboye Onigbinde (member), Mr. Harry Awurumibe (Member), Chief Larry Ezeh (late), and Elder Eddington Bola Kuejubola.
Also, Princess Oi Aida Ajibola, Mr. Kabir Atiwe Wambai, Mr. Rex Adogbeji (late), Mr. Akinloye Oyebanji, Princess Gloria Adebajo, Ms. Jamila Buhari and Mrs. Rose Onuoha were members of the Committee.
As the youngest and vibrant member of the Committee, I worked closely with the Modakeke High Chief, whose contributions during the meetings helped a lot to build a Super Falcons that have continued to remain dominant in Africa and respected across the world.
Also, he was on hand to advise the newly formed 5-Member NFA Female Football Development Project Team with British-born then National Marketing Manager of Pepsi, Mr. Iain Nelson as Chairman. The Team was tasked with among other things to produce an action plan for the effective development of women’s football at all levels in Nigeria; raised funds to execute women’s football programmes and prepared the Super Falcons for the first-ever Africa Women’s Championship (AWC) now WAFCON held in Nigeria in 1998; FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in USA in 1999, and maiden appearance in Sydney 2000 Olympic Games respectively.
Despite not winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Nigeria has reached the quarter-final stage once in 1999 in the 3rd FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in the United States of America (USA).
This is even as Nigeria is one of the few countries that have qualified for the biggest global women’s football tournament every fours, all thanks to the contributions of some patriots like Onigbinde, who laid the foundation for the success SuperFalcons, Falconets and Flamingos have achieved in Africa and globally.
Onigbinde, who made history as the first indigenous coach to lead Nigeria’s senior men’s national team to the Africa Cup of Nations final and the first Nigerian coach to take the Super Eagles to the FIFA World Cup, was always ready to advise the football administrators, coaches and women footballers on the pathway to success.
Truly, he was a man of integrity and service whose influence extended beyond Nigeria, having served as Technical Adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and later as a Technical Advisor to FIFA.
In fact, our parts crossed three times in his life time, and I must confess that he was not only technically and tactically sound as a coach, he was very intelligent as administrator, and a sincere and decent person.
A coach of coaches, Onigbinde was on ground in Edmonton, Canada, during the 2002 FIFA U-19 World Cup finals to give pep talks to the Nigerian team led by late coach Ntiero Effiom Ntiero. Nigeria drew one match and lost two to crash out of the competition.
In deed, Onigbinde played a defining role in his football career and it impacted club football, national teams and others.
History will always remember Onigbinde as one of the pioneer promoters of women’s football in Nigeria and Africa.
Adieu! Modakeke High Chief
Harry Awurumibe, Nigeria’s longest serving Member of NFF Women’s Football Development Committee/ Women’s Football Project Team, wrote from Abuja.
