Sports

Emmanuel Amuneke, Finidi, Others Lead Race For Eagles Job

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

A familiar face in Nigerian football circles, Emmanuel Amuneke carved his legacy as a dynamic winger during his playing days. The former Super Eagles star played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s triumph at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and famously scored two goals in the final to secure the title.
Transitioning seamlessly into coaching, Amuneke’s achievements speak volumes of his acumen on the sidelines. He guided Nigeria’s U17 team led by a teenage Victor Osimhen to FIFA U-17 World Cup glory in 2015, showcasing his adeptness at nurturing young talents and orchestrating success at the international level.
Amuneke has also served as an assistant coach for the Super Eagles in the past and his technical acumen, talent grooming and understanding of Nigerian football make him a compelling choice.
With a successful club and national career, the 53-year-old is sure to have the respect of the squad should he emerge as the next coach of the Eagles.
George Finidi
Renowned for his electrifying pace and precision on the wing, George Finidi left a lasting mark on Nigerian football during his playing days. A key figure in the iconic Ajax team of the 1990s, Finidi’s exploits in Europe earned him widespread acclaim, including a UEFA Champions League triumph in 1995.
Praised with a unique football brain even before transitioning into coaching, Finidi has honed his skills on the sidelines, gaining valuable experience across different coaching roles.
Most recently, he won the Nigerian Premier Football League with Enyimba in the 2022/23 season and his tactical astuteness and understanding of the game position him as a compelling candidate for the Super Eagles job.
One of those who has won it all as a player and achieving great success as a manager, Finidi also served as an assistant coach under Peseiro as the Eagles finished second at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and he is a prime target on basis of continuity in the backroom.
Ndubuisi Egbo
A trailblazer in his own right, Ndubuisi Egbo etched his name in history as the first African coach to lead a European team to a domestic league title when he won the Albanian topflight trophy with FK Tirana. His remarkable feat with Tirana in Albania garnered global attention as he also booked them a spot in the UEFA Champions League, highlighting his managerial prowess and ability to achieve success against the odds.
Egbo played as a goalkeeper during his professional career, and also played for Tirana, winning three trophies with them. He also played for the Nigeria national team, playing 12 matches and competing at two AFCON tournaments.
Egbo’s journey from player to coach epitomises resilience and determination, qualities that could prove invaluable in guiding the Super Eagles to greater heights on the international stage.
Michael Nsien
Michael Nsien’s footballing journey spans continents, with the versatile defender playing in the United States, Canada and United Arab Emirates during his playing days.
The Nigerian-American was also a member of the 2003 Nigerian U-23 National Team that ultimately failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. While his playing career was marked by consistency and commitment, it is Nsien’s foray into coaching that has garnered attention in recent years.
Nsien is part of a new generation of coaches currently saddled with the task of managing America’s future football talents and the gaffer has proven his mettle since he changed mantle from playing to coaching. Nsien, who holds a US Soccer Pro License (the first African-American to earn it in 2020) and UEFA ‘A’ License, is seen by his peers in the US as a trailblazer in a sector with very few black coaches.
Nsien’s coaching tenure at Tulsa Roughnecks FC in the United Soccer League showcased his ability to instill discipline, tactics, and cohesion within a team, laying the groundwork for success on the pitch. He enjoyed a decorated youth coaching career with Tulsa Soccer Club as Nsien won eight state championships from 2010 to 2018. In his three seasons as the Roughnecks full-time head coach, Nsien led the team to consecutive USL Championship Playoff berths in 2020 and 2021.
Thereafter he caught the attention of the United States Soccer Federation officials, who named him their U-16 MYNT in November 2022. Nsien had a successful spell with the squad, guiding them to a 4-1-1 international record with wins against England, Japan, Nigeria and Wales before serving as an assistant to interim USMNT head coach B.J. Callaghan during the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup and then in September last year, the USSF again appointed Nsien to manage their U-19 team.
The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Austine Eguavoen currently occupies the interim coaching role for the Super Eagles. As the clamor for a Nigerian coach to lead the national team persists among fans, Amuneke, Finidi, Egbo, and Nsien are laudable options as the stage is set for a new era in Nigerian football.

Sports

NDG: Rivers Coach Appeal To NDDC In Talent Discovery

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Chess coach Nnamso Umoren has appealed to relevant authorities, most especially the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to provide funds for scouting of hidden talents at the grassroots.

He stated that lack of funds is hindering most coaches from doing what they are expected to do; hence, they don’t have enough money to travel to rural areas to discover talents.

Umoren made the appeal in an exclusive interview with Tidesports yesterday, in Benin, Edo State, shortly after the second edition of the Niger Delta Games drew her curtains closed.

According to him, without coaches no athlete can perform better, as coaches are the ones that teach athletes the techniques and rudiments of every sport.

“I appeal to the commission to support the coaches with funds to enable them to go to the areas and discover talents. Lack of funds for coaches limits the extent to which they can move around within the state in search of talents.

“I am of the general opinion that without coaches, athletes cannot perform better; hence, the coaches teach them the rudiments of the sports,” Umoren said.

The Chess coach called on the Rivers State government to organise tournaments in the State to know the strength of athletes discovered, saying that will improve sporting activities in the State.

However, he commends NDDC, who are the major sponsors of NDG, and Dumamis Icon Limited for close to perfect organisation.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Rivers Sports Director Rates Niger Delta Games High

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Director of Sports, Obia Inyingikabo has that the just concluded second edition of the Niger Delta Games, held in Benin, Edo State, was very impressive and well organised.

She commended both the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Dumamis Icon Limited for the sponsorship and organisation respectively.

According to her, the problem of the team was the epileptic situation of shuttle buses, which was not under the direct control of the sports council.

Inyingikabo said this in a telephone interview with Tidesports yesterday; she confirmed that apart from the poor transport system for athletes, every arrangement went successfully as planned.

The director praised her athletes for making the State proud by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals during the games. She assured the people of Rivers State that in the next edition they will perform better and also used the opportunity to commend Rivers State promoting sports in the State.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Treat Bees, Silkworms As Valuable Resources – Don

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

A Professor of Applied Entomology and Pest Management, at the Federal University of Technology Akure,(FUTA), Olufunmilayo Oladipo, has said insects such as bees ,houseflies silkworms and similar species should be seen and treated as valuable resources whose careful management could enhance food security, generate income, support industrial applications, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Prof. Oladipo made the remark while delivering the 193rd Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Citing the honeybee as a prime example, Oladipo noted that beyond honey production, bees provide beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and venom used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, while their pollination services significantly increase crop yields and biodiversity.

She also referenced silkworms, whose silk supports textile industries and export earnings, as well as black soldier flies and houseflies, locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and crickets which are increasingly used in the production of high-protein livestock and aquaculture feeds, thereby reducing dependence on expensive imported feed ingredients.

Speaking on the topic, “Six-Legged Arthropods: Food Security, Health and National Economic Development,” Professor Oladipo highlighted the multiple contributions of insects to national development in a monolithic economy like Nigeria, where over-dependence on crude oil has limited diversification.

She pointed out that insects serve as food for humans and feed for livestock, provide income for households through apiculture, sericulture, and insect-based enterprises, and supply raw materials for pharmaceutical and industrial uses. Beneficial insects also enhance food security through nutrient recycling, biological control of harmful species and weeds, and pollination of crops and horticultural plants, resulting in bumper harvests and increased biodiversity.

Professor Oladipo further mentioned termites and dung beetles for their role in nutrient recycling and soil aeration, improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps, she explained, serve as natural biological control agents, reducing populations of destructive pests without harming the environment.

In the area of public health, Oladipo declared that though “the economic toll of insect vectors is staggering, stretching from the household to national economy, thereby undermining productivity, draining family resources, and constraining national growth, certain insects negatively affect agriculture, public health, and livelihoods”.

The professor pointed to the importance of understanding mosquitoes and other disease vectors such as tsetse flies, whose management is critical in combating malaria, yellow fever, dengue, sleeping sickness and other vector-borne diseases that weaken workforce productivity and strain national resources.

She cited data showing that malaria alone costs Africa over 12 billion dollars annually in healthcare expenditures, lost productivity, and reduced investment. Beyond mortality, she emphasized, insect-borne diseases also contribute to morbidity, chronic disability, and reduced workforce efficiency, imposing heavy burdens on families, health systems, and national economies.

She referenced maggot therapy, currently practiced in teaching hospitals in Kano, as a safe and effective treatment for chronic diabetic wounds adding that bioactive compounds from fungus-insect complexes such as Bombyx batryticatus and Beauveria bassiana, which have been developed into medicines with anticonvulsant, anticancer, antifungal, anticoagulant, and hypolipidemic properties.

Weaver ants, bee venom, and cantharidin from blister beetles, she stated, also possess therapeutic value, including immune-boosting, anti-diabetic, anti-arthritic, and antiviral applications. She maintained that strategic government investment in entomotherapy could strengthen healthcare delivery, reduce pharmaceutical import dependence, save lives, and support national economic diversification.

According to her, these examples demonstrate that insects are not merely pests to be eradicated but strategic biological assets that, if properly managed, can enhance food security, strengthen public health systems, generate employment, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda.

The Agric expert noted however, that certain pest species continue to pose threats to agriculture and public health, thereby negatively affecting economic growth. She stressed that proper management, rather than indiscriminate eradication, is key to maximizing the benefits of these six-legged resources.

Professor Oladipo advocated integrated pest management strategies that prioritize environmentally friendly approaches, including botanicals, pheromones, biological control agents, growth regulators, and semiochemicals, while minimizing the use of broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides.

She warned that excessive reliance on chemicals has resulted in resistance, environmental pollution, and harm to non-target organisms. She also called for stricter regulation of pesticide importation and usage under professional supervision, and for stronger surveillance by regulatory authorities to prevent the introduction of exotic pest species.

To strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in entomology, she urged the government to support insect rearing and the conservation of beneficial species and to establish more Departments of Entomology in universities.

On the benefits of insects, she stressed the need for shifting societal perceptions and promoting sustainable practices, calling for stronger linkages between universities and industries to translate research findings into practical applications and commercial opportunities.

Professor Oladipo further appealed for increased funding for research and for targeted support for brilliant but indigent students in science-based disciplines, emphasizing that nurturing the next generation of entomologists and agricultural scientists is critical for national development.

Presenting the inaugural lecturer, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, FAS, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development), Professor Sunday Oluyamo, described Professor Oladipo as a distinguished scholar whose research has significantly advanced the field of entomology and strengthened FUTA’s academic and research profile.

The Vice Chancellor who described the lecture as ‘timely’, given Nigeria’s challenges in food security, public health, and economic diversification, commended the inaugural lecturer’s scholarly depth, resilience, and dedication to mentoring students, reaffirming FUTA’s commitment to research that addresses pressing national development priorities.