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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the death of High Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, former head coach of the Super Eagles and respected football administrator, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
In a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President extended heartfelt sympathies to the family and associates of the late Modakeke high chief, as well as to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the entire Nigerian football community.
President Tinubu hailed Onigbinde’s pioneering role as the first indigenous coach of the Super Eagles, appointed in 1982, and applauded his leadership in guiding the team to the finals of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
He also commended the veteran coach’s enduring contributions to the advancement of grassroots football and the professionalisation of football administration in Nigeria, describing him as “a man of discipline, integrity, foresight, and deep passion for the game.”
The President prayed for the peaceful repose of Onigbinde’s soul and for divine comfort for his family, friends, and admirers across the nation.
The Nigeria Football Federation on its part described the passing of its former Technical Director and two-time Head Coach of the senior men national football team, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, as “the exit of a great man who served Nigeria football wholeheartedly and was diligent and devoted to the development of the game.”
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NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said the Modakeke high chief was “an extraordinary achiever who impacted positively not only on Nigeria football, but on the African and the global game at large.”
He added: “Indeed, a big tree has fallen. Chief Onigbinde ate, drank, breathed, slept and lived football development. We will miss him greatly, as he was never tired of giving advice on the game’s development even at his ripe old age. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest, and also grant his family, relations, friends and the Nigeria football fraternity the fortitude to bear the big loss.”
Respected globally for his deep knowledge of the game’s tactics and techniques, Onigbinde served as Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, and also as Technical Adviser of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, in charge of the country’s youth teams. He was for many years a technical advisor of the Confederation of African Football, and worked on countless Technical Study Groups of both FIFA and CAF at major championships.
He started his coaching career in the 1960s, and rose to national consciousness in 1977, when he led Water Corporation FC of Ibadan to the quarter-finals of the African Champion Clubs Cup competition. Seven years later, he led Ibadan giants, Shooting Stars FC, to the final of the same competition.
A quintessential teacher, educator and instructor, Chief Onigbinde was the first indigenous coach to lead Nigeria’s senior men national team to win a medal (silver) in the Africa Cup of Nations, achieving the feat with a team of rookies and few experienced performers in Cote d’Ivoire in 1984.
The very cerebral tactician led the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals in Korea/Japan, where a melange of little-known names and experienced campaigners lost narrowly to Argentina and Sweden, and drew with England. He became the first indigenous manager of the Super Eagles at football’s flagship tournament, after Dutchman Clemens Westerhof (1994) and Serbian Bora Milutinovic (1998).
Afterwards, he served as instructor and educator for the NFF, CAF and FIFA, devoting his time to training the trainers, for which he accumulated accolades from far and near.
