Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Gbenga Elegbeleye, has praised Chibuike Nwaiwu following his debut for the Nigeria’s senior men’s national team.
The Trabzonspor defender came on in the second half to replace Igoh Ogbu during Nigeria’s 2–1 friendly victory over Iran national football team on Friday.
Nwaiwu’s journey to the national team has been marked by steady progress through the domestic league. He previously featured for Heartland FC and Enyimba FC before securing a move abroad.
The 22-year-old was part of the Enyimba squad that clinched a record-extending ninth NPFL title during the 2022/23 season.
He later moved to Wolfsberger AC, where he won the Austrian Cup, before sealing a transfer to Trabzonspor in January.
Elegbeleye described the defender’s rapid rise as a significant source of pride for the domestic league, emphasizing its importance as a pathway for talent development.
“This is a massive bragging right for the NPFL. It will motivate our league players to up their game to get scouted by foreign clubs and our national team handlers,” he told NPFL media.
Nwaiwu’s breakthrough is seen as further proof of the growing impact of the NPFL in producing players capable of competing at the highest level.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
