Sports

CAF Awards 2024: Ademola Leads Nigeria’s Date With Destiny

Published

2 years ago

December 16, 2024

561 Views

Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman will lead Nigeria’s quest for honours at the CAF Awards in the Moroccan City of Marrakech.

Lookman is in pole position to be crowned the CAF Player of the Year for 2024 following a stunning campaign that saw him win the Europa League where he bagged a historic hat-trick in the final.

Last year, Lookman’s compatriots Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala scooped the men’s and women’s CAF prizes respectively.

In announcing the final shortlist for the men’s prize for this year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said it was a close call, thus their inability to prune the list to three.

That means Lookman will battle South Africa’s Ronwen Williams; Cote d’Ivoire’s Simon Adingra; Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco for Africa’s top individual football prize.

However, in Morroco on Monday, the Atalanta man is favoured to take the crown from his compatriot Osimhen.

The statistics tell it all! In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) played earlier in the year, Lookman was an inspirational figure for Nigeria, notching three goals and two assists in seven games as the Super Eagles flew to a second-place finish.

He struck a brace in the last 16 match against Cameroon before bagging the winner in the quarter-final vs Angola.

His performances in Cote d’Ivoire earned him a place in the Team of the Tournament, about two years after he switched allegiance to Nigeria from England.

Lookman followed up the AFCON outing with a historic hat-trick as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final, ending the German side’s unbeaten season run and giving his team their second major crown since 1963.

So far this season, the winger has scored 11 goals and five assists in 18 games across all competitions for his Italian side.

Lookman has also been impressive for the Super Eagles after the AFCON. He was instrumental in the team’s AFCON 2025 qualification, scoring two goals in the process.

Two of his goals were ruled off in controversial conditions during that qualification series.

Nigeria’s forward #18 Ademola Lookman (C) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Nigeria’s forward #9 Victor Osimhen (R) during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 27, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The 27-year-old was the only African in the Ballon d’Or shortlist this year and finished in an impressive 14th place.

Lookman won’t be the only Nigerian going for honours in Morocco. In the women’s category, the soft-spoken Chiamaka Nnadozie will hope to take the Player of the Year award – won six times by Oshoala – back home.

But she faces stiff competition in the mold of Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Moroccan Sanâa Mssoudy.Nnadozie, a key figure for French side Paris FC, helped Nigeria seal an Olympics ticket after a 16-year absence.

The Super Falcon is equally a favourite to retain the Goalkeeper of the Year gong. She is up against Andile Dlamini (South Africa) and Khadija Er-Rmichi of Morocco for that.Falconet’s Chiamaka Okwuchukwu completes Nigeria’s trio of contenders for individual prizes in the CAF Awards for 2024.

She made the final shortlist for the Young Player of the Year (women) after helping Nigeria reach the last eight of this year’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Okwuchukwu also featured in the Nigerian squad that got to the final of the Africa Games.For the team prizes, the Super Eagles and Falcons were nominated for the men’s and women’s teams of the year in that order.

For the former, South Africa and Cote d’Ivoire are contenders while the latter has Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, and the Cameroon U-20 side.

Edo Queens who got to the semi-final of the CAF Women’s Champions League in their debut also earned a spot in the Women’s Club of the Year category.

As the world eagerly awaits the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony, all eyes will be on Lookman to lead his home country to glory in the imperial Moroccan city of Marrakech.

Sports

Boxer Stabs To Death in Ibadan street fight

Another user, @omononaolapo, wrote, “Funny enough, this guy that stabbed him was not even among those that they were fighting.”

Published

8 hours ago

November 3, 2026

OCHEFA

10 Views

•Kehinde popularly known as KBlaq

An amateur boxer identified simply as Kehinde and popularly known as KBlaq has been stabbed to death during a street fight at Olodo Garage in Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to accounts circulating online, the deceased was not initially involved in the fight, while the suspect allegedly appeared after the confrontation had ended and stabbed him in the neck with a broken bottle.

Kehinde, who was described by acquaintances as a boxer, reportedly succumbed to his injuries.

Several social media users expressed shock over the killing, with some claiming that the suspect was not among those involved in the initial fight.

An X user, @MVKAY2, wrote, “The person who stabbed him was not even involved in the fight, and they had stopped fighting already. Just one of those vile men wey the matter no concern came from nowhere and stabbed him.

“Before una start dropping different narratives, I wish he was with Z second. I wish he was never there.”

Another user, @omononaolapo, wrote, “Funny enough, this guy that stabbed him was not even among those that they were fighting.”

Similarly, @Tunde, who described the deceased as his brother, wrote, “Na my brother o. Ajeh. Olodo bike men can be very mean sometimes, and they were all there watching them fight.”

Another user, @Fela, added, “This was why I made this tweet earlier today. This boxer is my younger brother’s friend. I got to church yesterday and my brother told me someone killed his friend. I was shocked when he told me.”

Sports

Nigeria Thumbs up CAF For Samson’s Appointment As Secretary-General

NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, commended Nigeria’s career progression at CAF, where he previously served as Director of Competitions, Director of Tournaments and Events, and Acting General Secretary.

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2026

OCHEFA

34 Views

The Federal Government of Nigeria has congratulated Samson Adamu following his confirmation as the substantive General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football.

The National Sports Commission, in a statement, described the appointment as recognition of Adamu’s experience and progress within the continental football governing body.

NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, commended Nigeria’s career progression at CAF, where he previously served as Director of Competitions, Director of Tournaments and Events, and Acting General Secretary.

“Samson’s confirmation recognises the experience he has built within CAF. We congratulate him and wish him every success,” Dikko said.

Sports

CAF : Nigerian Samson Adamu Becomes General Secretary

Published

2 days ago

November 1, 2026

Charles Flames

40 Views

The Confederation of African Football has appointed Nigerian football administrator Samson Adamu as its new General Secretary. The appointment was announced on Sunday, November 1, 2026, after a recruitment process to fill the role previously held by Veron Mosengo-Omba.

Adamu has worked with CAF for eight years and had served as acting General Secretary since March 2026. Mosengo-Omba resigned from the position to become president of the football federation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe confirmed that Adamu’s appointment followed a comprehensive selection process involving several candidates. Motsepe explained that the position was widely advertised, with shortlisted applicants interviewed before the organisation reached its decision.

The appointment makes Adamu one of the most senior Nigerian administrators in African football. His responsibilities cover implementation of CAF policies, administrative coordination and support for football development across member associations.

Before his appointment, Adamu held several senior positions within CAF, including Director of Competitions and Director of Tournaments and Events. During his eight years with the organisation, he was involved in overseeing continental football competitions and coordinating major tournaments involving national teams and clubs across Africa.

His previous responsibilities placed him at the centre of CAF’s tournament administration, including the planning and execution of competitions under the continental body’s supervision.

As General Secretary, Adamu will now oversee broader administrative functions and work with CAF’s leadership to implement strategic decisions affecting African football.