Nigeria Leagues
Sixtus Omokhagbor hails Edo Queens, recounts State support after Premiership feat
By Saheed Afolabi
The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Edo State governor on sports, Sixtus Omokhagbor, has commended Edo Queens for winning their first Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership title in Yenagoa.
The Benin Arsenal stood strong, amassing ten points in five matches in the NWFL Premiership Super Six to clinch their first league title in their history.
Anchoring the club’s progress, Omokhagbor emphasized that the league title win is a testament to the Edo State government’s substantial financial contributions and support for Edo Queens. He highlighted how the team’s allowances and bonuses significantly boosted the players’ morale.
“It’s a huge feeling, we are happy. We have had trials on this back-to-back and were not successful, but we have finally landed it,” Omokhagbor stated. “The Edo State government has invested so much in sports and the girls. I told them before the tournament that they were owing the people of Edo State and I’m happy they delivered.”
Omokhagbor detailed the incentives provided to the players, which included increased match bonuses and allowances. “Their match bonuses and allowances were increased by 100 percent. The players got 70,000 naira for winning any game and 2.8 million naira for a win while a goal scored was 500,000 naira. This gave the players a winning mentality. Their feeding allowance was 10,000 naira daily, and we gave the players over 190,000 naira each for the 19 days spent.”
Looking ahead, Omokhagbor stated that preparations for the continental championship will start immediately. He assured that better players will be injected into the team to fortify their base ahead of the WAFU B Champions League.
“I want to appreciate the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his wife for the massive support given to this team, which has yielded great results,” he added. “We are going to work immediately for the WAFU B Champions League; we are not going to sleep. The girls are going to camp immediately, and we will also shop for good footballers to beef up the team.
“We are going to get the best legs to strengthen the squad, and the players will earn in dollars when they compete in the continental tournament. We are going to go with focused minds and excel in the CAF Women’s Champions League.”
Omokhagbor concluded by saying, “This was just our time because we had the best preparation, welfare, and everything going forward, including destiny, came to play at the end of it all.”
