The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen,, has mourned a former head coach of the Super Eagles, Chief Festus Adegboye Onigbinde.
Speaker Abbas, in a condolence message issued through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, described Chief Onigbinde as a renowned football administrator and elder statesman.
Speaker Abbas noted Chief Onigbinde’s immense contributions to football development, which he described as national service inspired by patriotism.
The Speaker commiserated with the Onigbinde family and extended his condolences to Osun State, National Sports Commission (NSC), Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), entire sports community, and football fans.
Speaker Abbas prayed for the repose of Chief Onigbinde’s soul and the fortitude for his family to bear the loss.
Chief Onigbinde, from Modaleke in Osun State, passed on at the age of 88 on Monday. He became the first indigenous coach of Nigeria’s male national football team and served as technical director of the NFF and technical adviser of the youth teams of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. He was also a technical director at FIFA, world’s football governing body.