By Wale Mustapha
The officials selected to officiate the 2024/2025 Nigeria National League (NNL) season have been urged to uphold the highest standards of fairness and professionalism throughout the competition.
Faith Irabor, Chairperson of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Referees and Development Committee, made the call in Abuja on Friday, stressing the importance of consistent and impartial officiating.
The new NNL season is set to kick off on Saturday with a highly anticipated match between Abakaliki FC and Madiba FC at the Pa-Ngele Oruta Township Stadium.
Irabor expressed confidence in the officials chosen for the season’s opening fixture, stating, “We are proud of these referees, and we expect nothing less than the best from them.
“They understand the importance of their roles and the consequences of poor performances.”
The match will be officiated by Osas Alohan from Edo State, with Festus German (First Assistant) from Delta State, Favour Bogwu (Second Assistant) also from Delta State, and Sebastine Onwe (Fourth Official) from Ebonyi State.
Irabor emphasized that the integrity of the competition depends heavily on the officials’ ability to set a positive example for the season ahead.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
