Ahead of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 2022/2023 season which begins January 8, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt Hon. Philip Shaibu, has finalized plans for the official unveiling/launching of new jerseys for Bendel Insurance Football Club and Edo Queens Football Club for 2022/2023 season.
The unveiling/launching of the new jerseys is scheduled for 2:00pm on Wednesday, 11 January 2023, at New Festival Hall, Edo State Government House.
Recall that the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NPFL had on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 in Abuja conducted the draw for the 2022/2023 NPFL competition.
The outcome of the draw showed that Akwa United Football Club of Uyo will battle with Bendel Insurance Football Club of Edo in the star match of the 2022/2023 NPFL Matchday One fixtures.
The draw, conducted by Sunday Obaseki, Head of Department, Competitions, NPFL, saw a total of 20 teams, nine from the North and 11 from the South, grouped into two pools of A and B, with Matchday 1 set for January 8, 2023.
The 20 NPFL teams were pitched against each other for the purpose of the abridged league season as proposed by the NPFL Interim Management Committee and approved by the Nigeria Football Federation.
The game between Akwa United and Bendel Insurance of Benin in pool A was selected as the star match of matchday one fixture.
The January 8 fixture, expected to take place at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, will see Insurance, who are returning to the top-flight league after several years of absence, take on the 2020/2021 NPFL Champions.
Insurance, who emerged champions of the Nigeria National League at the end of the Super 4 tournament in Bayelsa State, will be eager to prove their mettle against the heavyweights, having not tasted top-flight action for a very long time.
Kudos to the Edo State Government, the management team of Bendel Insurance, as well as former U-17 Head Coach Monday Odige-tutored side for the recent success achieved by the team.
They take on an NPFL giant in Akwa United who have been consistent in the top-flight league since making their debut in the 2007/2008 season.
The Uyo-based clubside went on to win the league in the 2020/2021 season and represented Nigeria in the CAF Champions League, as well as in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Chairman of the IMC, Gbenga Elegbeleye. said the organisers have secured a sponsor to foot the indemnities of match officials for the next three years.
He added that the payments will be done directly from the company to the appointed match officials.
Elegbeleye said: “We are committed to eradicating the malaise of indebtedness to match officials, which compromises them and lowers their morale to do the right thing.
“The IMC has also increased the winner’s prize for the season to the sum of N100 million, which is a 100 per cent increase on what was in place previously.”
He said the IMC had already secured lofty sponsorship deals for the league, which would indeed add to the fortunes of the Nigerian league in the new season.
He also assured that IMC would ensure that the season was hitch-free of violence, thuggery and other vices that can bring the game to disrepute.
Elegbeleye warned that any club that breaks the law through acts of violence would not be fined N500,000 as was witnessed in the past, but three points would automatically be deducted from the team to serve as a deterrent to others.
Ibrahim Musa Gusau, president of the NFF, applauded the IMC of the NPFL for its efforts to reposition the Nigeria League, following the conduct of the draw.
Gusau, who was represented at the event by the NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, said the NFF was satisfied with the efforts been made by the committee so far.
He said: “Let me state clearly that the NFF is satisfied with the efforts the IMC has been making to rebrand and reposition the NPFL since its inauguration.
“The NFF commends the IMC Chairman and all his members for the highly successful pre-season tournament held earlier in the month, and also for the actualisation of this Draw Ceremony.
“The commitment to engineer changes that will deliver a vibrant Nigeria League and a viable football economy in the country remains as firm as ever.
“The NFF will continue to provide the necessary support to the IMC to fulfill its terms of reference in flying colours.”
Present at the ceremony was the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Abba Yola.
Also in attendance were Daniel Amokachi, Special Assistant to the President on Sports; Vice Chairman of the IMC, Paul Bassey; David Onwunmi, Secretary of the IMC; and other IMC members.
Others include Chikelue Iloenyosi, Chairman, Anambra State Football Association, as well as ex-Internationals Victor Ikpeba, Augustine Egwaveon and Ann Agumanu-Chiejine among others.
The draw for the new season, which will be in an abridged format of two groups of 10 clubs, saw the clubsides being drawn into Group A and Group B.
Group A has Nasarawa United of Lafia, Enyimba International of Aba, Akwa United of Uyo, Bendel Insurance of Benin, Plateau United of Jos and Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan.
The rest in group A are Kwara United of Ilorin, Gombe United of Gombe, Remo Stars of Ikenne and El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri.
In Group B, Bayelsa United of Yenagoa have been drawn alongside Dakkada FC of Uyo, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, Niger Tornadoes of Minna and Doma United of Gombe.
Others in group B are Sunshine Stars of Akure, defending champions Rivers United of Port Harcourt, Lobi Stars of Makurdi, Rangers International of Enugu and Abia Warriors of Umuahia.
The following are all the Match Day 1 fixtures:
Group A
Nasarawa United vs Enyimba International
Akwa United vs Bendel Insurance FC
Plateau United vs Shooting Stars
Kwara United vs Gombe United
Remo Stars vs El-Kanemi Warriors
Group B
Bayelsa United vs Dakkada FC
Wikki Tourists vs Niger Tornadoes
Doma United vs Sunshine Stars
Rivers United vs Lobi Stars
Rangers International vs Abia Warriors
Meanwhile, ahead of the commencement of the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, Uyo-based outfit, Dakkada FC held a special thanksgiving service to commit the new season into God’s hands on Sunday, January 1, 2023, with the theme “The Chosen Ones of God” taken from 1Corinthians 1:27-29.
The service was held at the Apostolic Church Afaha Oku district, Oku Village road, Uyo and was attended by high-profile dignitaries including the Deputy Chief Whip of Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly and Executive Member of Nigeria Football Federation.
Dakkada who have been drawn into Group B will begin their campaign with a trip to Bayelsa United when the 2022/2023 NPFL gets underway this Sunday, January 8, 2023.
