FC Ifeanyiubah head coach, Rafael Everton and Wikki Tourists striker,
Godwin Obaje, have been named Manager and Player respectively for the
month of August in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) –
League Bloggers Awards (LBA).
Everton becomes the first South American to win the prestigious
monthly award as a manager in the NPFL.
The FC Ifeanyiubah coach was picked ahead of El-Kanemi Warriors
trainer Ladan Bosso as well as Solomon Ogbeide of Sunshine Stars and
Paul Aigbogun of Enyimba for the month under review.
The Brazilian navigated FC Ifeanyiubah through difficult fixtures
against fellow title contenders, Enugu Rangers and Wikki Tourists,
defeating both teams 2-0 and 1-0 respectively and that feat had in
between a 1-0 win at Warri Wolves having early lost 0-2 at Plateau
United. This meant that Everton helped the Nnewi club earn nine points
in four matches.
Ogbeide fell short from clinching the manager’s award as Sunshine
Stars took eight points from 15 in August.
Aigbogun and Bosso, unbeaten with Enyimba and El-Kanemi respectively
in August, took seven and eight points in that order.
Obaje has now been named the NPFL-LBA Player of the Month for the
second time this season after first winning the award in May. The
league’s top scorer netted three goals in August, including a brace
against MFM FC as Wikki won 2-1.
He then netted another goal that could only help his club to win a
point at home against Lobi Stars in a 1-1 draw on the last day of
August.
Samad Kadiri of Sunshine Stars, Ibrahim Ajani of 3SC and FC
Ifeanyiubah’s Chijioke Alakwe scored two goals apiece and their
efforts proved inadequate to knock off Obaje’s individual input for
August.
Everton and Obaje will be presented their awards later this month.
PAST NPFL-LBA WINNERS THIS SEASON
February 2016
Player: Frederick Obomate (Rivers United)
Manager: Kennedy Boboye (Abia Warriors)
March 2016
Player: Chisom Egbuchulam (Enugu Rangers)
Manager: Imama Amapakabo (Enugu Rangers)
April 2016
Player: Okiki Afolabi (Sunshine Stars)
Manager: Imama Amapakabo (Enugu Rangers)
May 2016
Player: Godwin Obaje (Wikki Tourists)
Manager: Paul Aigbogun (Enyimba)
June 2016
Player: Emeka Nwabulu (Wikki Tourists)
Manager: Abdu Maikaba (Wikki Tourists)
July 2016
Player: Abdulrahman Bashir (Nasarawa United)
Manager: Zachary Baraje (Plateau United)
George Akpayen
For: NPFL-LBA
