The third edition of the annual NFF-Aiteo Football Awards took the City of Lagos by storm on Monday night, with the country’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, as well as four-time African Player of the Year, Asisat Oshoala, home-based professional Gift Monday and the Super Falcons’ class of 1999 the star attraction at the glamour event inside the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island.
Scuttled by the global coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc worldwide since the beginning of year 2020, the third edition of the showpiece event was planned on a smaller scale but blossomed and became magnified as the night wore on, with the wife of the Chief Naval Staff, Hajiya Nana Aisha Gambo (representing the First Lady); First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura; Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu; Aiteo’s Executive Vice President Francis Peters; FIFA Executive Member Isha Johansen; CAF Executive Member Kanizat Ibrahim; CAF chieftain Danny Jordaan; daughters of the First Lady of the Federal Republic – Halima, Zahra and Noor; NFF Executive Committee Members and Management; top guns of the Lagos State Sports Commission and FA; NFF partners and sponsors; corporate titans; squad members of the 1999 Super Falcons; squad members of the Women ‘A’ teams of Nigeria and Cameroon and; leading football stakeholders, in the hall.
Former NFF President, Abdulmumini Aminu ; Sarah Bareman (FIFA Head of Women’s Football); Allen Onyema (Chairman of Air Peace); Obinna Ogba (Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports); Garba Umar Baba (Nigeria’s Interpol Officer and NFF’s Senior Adviser on Security); Aiteo Group’s Samira Buhari and; Aliyu Oroje Wammako (President of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria) were also present.
President of the NFF and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Pinnick, heaped plaudits on Mrs Buhari, in whose name the six-nation invitational tournament concluded on Tuesday in Lagos was held and disclosed that her passion, interest, attention, and commitment to the challenges confronting women, the girl-child and the less privileged in general motivated the Aisha Buhari Cup event.
The First Lady was honoured with the award of Best Supporter of Women’s Football.
Silas Nwankwo and Charles Atshimene, who shared the honours of top scorer in the last NPFL season with 19 goals, were joint winners of the Best Performance of the Year (Men; Nigeria-based) while Paul Onuachu emerged Best Performer for the overseas-based crew.
Super Eagles’ forward Onuachu scored 35 goals in 41 games for his Belgian club Genk and two crucial goals in the Super Eagles’ successful qualifying campaign for the 2021 AFCON finals.
Oshoala, whose Spanish club FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League, emerged as the best performer (Women; Overseas-based) while Gift Monday, top scorer in the NWFL season, was crowned best performer on the home front.
Akwa United FC, Bayelsa United FC, Kennedy, Boboye, Moses Adukwu, Joseph Ogabor, Patience Madu, Ahmed Musa, and NFFTV and NPFLTV were other winners, while Princess Bola Ngozi Jegede was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award (collected by her son, Christopher).
There were also posthumous awards to Larry Eze and Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe for contributions to women football development.
Lagos State was honoured with Host State of the Year and Edo State was recognised with the Award of Commitment to Women Football Excellence.
Comperes Ay (Ayo Makun) and Ufuoma McDermott brought even more glamour and dazzle to the night by calling the members of the Super Falcons class of 1999 to the stage, with 14 of the 20 players present on the night: Nkiru Okosieme, Rita Nwadike, Mercy Akide, Ann Chiejine, Yinka Kudaisi, Marvis Ogun, Maureen Mmadu, Stella Mbachu, Gloria Usieta, Adanna Nwaneri, Florence Iweta, Nkechi Egbe, Judith Chime, and Martha Tarhemba. The deceased Ifeanyi Chiejine was represented by her sister.
AWARD WINNERS:
Best Performance of the Year (Men; Nigeria-based): Silas Nwankwo/Charles Atshimene
Best Performance of the Year (Men; Overseas-based): Paul Onuachu
Best Performance of the Year (Women; Nigeria-based): Gift Monday
Best Performance of the Year (Women; Overseas-based): Asisat Oshoala
Club of the Year (Men): Akwa United FC
Club of the Year (Women): Rivers Angels FC
Coach of the Year (Men): Kennedy Boboye
Coach of the Year (Women): Moses Adukwu
Referee of the Year (Men): Joseph Ogabor
Referee of the Year (Women): Patience Ndidi Madu
Memorable Performance of the Year: Bayelsa United FC
Host State of the Year: Lagos State
Best Supporter of Women’s Football: Dr (Mrs) Aisha Buhari
Commitment to Women’s Football Excellence: Edo State
Inspirational Award: Ahmed Musa
Innovation Award: NFFTV/NPFLTV
Special Recognition Award: Super Falcons Class of 1999
Lifetime Achievement Award: Princess Bola Ngozi Jegede
Post-humous Award: Prince Larry Eze/ Ms Henrietta Ukaigwe