Kingsley Obiekwu, a member of Nigeria’s U-23 Dream Team that won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games men’s football event, has set a lofty target for his Ingas FC side in the ongoing 2025 Nationwide League One playoffs, currently taking place at Awka City Stadium, Completesports.com reports.
Winners of the NLO play-offs will gain promotion to the nation’s second-tier league, the Nigeria National League (NNL), after a round of zonal knock-out games, with Jos and Owerri as the centres.
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Obiekwu spoke exclusively to Completesports.com on Tuesday following his team’s 2-0 victory over Ekomzy Classics FC in the third match of the day’s fixtures.
“We lost our first playoff match 2-1 to Ikukuoma FC, but today we bounced back with two early goals in the first half,” said Obiekwu, who is fondly called ‘Shagari’ by his admirers.
“The two early goals gave us the confidence to control the game for the full 90 minutes. I’m happy with the victory — it feels good.”
The 50-year-old former defender, who featured for Udoji United (1992–1995), Go Ahead Eagles of Holland (1995–1998), Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates (1998–2000), Rangers International (2000–2002), and Al Masry of Egypt (2002–2003), retired after concluding his career with Coal City Flying Antelopes from 2003 to 2006.
He further stated that having returned to winning ways, he is optimistic Ingas FC can win all their remaining matches in the playoffs.
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“Our opening defeat to Ikukuoma was just a temporary setback. With today’s win, the team spirit and confidence are back. I believe we can win the rest of our games as we work towards achieving our goal in the playoffs,” Obiekwu emphasised.
Earlier, in the fixture preceding the Ingas vs Ekomzy Classics clash, Giant Brillas triumphed over Dom Daniels 5-2 in a seven-goal thriller, while Onwubiko International Soccer Academy (OISA) handed a 3-0 drubbing to Kun Khalifat.
By Sab Osuji
