Aisha Buhari, IGP Usman, Amokachi, Pinnick To Be Honoured, As Voting For 8th Nigeria Pitch Awards Starts October

Special recognition awards have been lined up for some distinguished Nigerians in the 8^th Nigeria Pitch Awards which has been scheduled for Saturday, 26 March 2022.

The organisers of the prestigious Nigeria Pitch Award, to Matchmakers Consult International and SIAO Partners, while unveiling major highlights for the awards in Lagos on Tuesday, said Nigeria’s First lady, Aisha Buhari, Inspector General of Police, IGP Akali Baba Usman, Daniel Amokachi and Amaju Pinnick are to be honoured on the award night for their contribution to the development of football in the country.

President of Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Phillips, a FIFA licenced football agent told journalists during a luncheon organized to thank the members of the sporting press who have been the ‘Electoral College’ that have been voting since the beginning of the awards that “as in previous editions, voting forms and criteria will be mailed to voters and collation will be done by SIAO Partners. The 8th Award Ceremony is tentatively fixed for Saturday 26 March 2022. We will announce the venue at a later date,” Shina Phillips said.

While unveiling major highlights of the 8^th edition of the awards presented to Nigerian former and present sportspeople, administrators and journalists in recognition of their positive contributions to football in Nigeria, Phillips, a security expert said: “During the award ceremony, there will be the presentation of Special Achievement in Sports Award to Her Excellency, Aisha Buhari, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for her hosting of the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament. She has become Africa’s champion for the advancement of the rights of the girl child to social, economic and political development on the continent.

“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Akali Baba Usman will be honoured with the Sportsmanship Award for the introduction of ‘Operation Restore Peace’ in the South-East and South-South. This peace moves effectively doused tension between the police and the citizens and ushered in a new wave of police-citizen partnership in the fight against criminality in the region. IGP Akali’s is also a passionate supporter of sports as he demonstrated during the biennial Police Games in Akwa in 2020.

Others to be honoured are Mr. Daniel Amokachi, ‘The Bull’, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sports who played a pivotal and historic role in Nigeria’s first FIFA World Cup appearance and Mr. Amaju Pinnick, president of Nigeria Football Federation for his contributions to the advancement of Nigerian football and for his representation of the country at the highest level of world football,’ he said.

The award was initiated with 16 categories until March 10, 2016, when 6 categories were added

The first edition of the Nigeria Pitch Awards was held on November 16, 2013 at the Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar, Cross River State with notable sports and government personalities in attendance.

The 2nd Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony was held on June 13, 2015, in Abuja following a change in the schedule which was originally slated to hold on May 6, 2015, in Lagos. The ceremony saw Vincent Enyeama, Toyin Ibitoye, Bimbo Adeola and Felix Anyansi-Agwu retain Goalkeeper of the Year, Football Journalist of the Year (TV), Football Journalist of the Year (Radio) and Manager of the Year award respectively.

The 3rd Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony was held on March 25, 2016, at Hotel Seventeen in Kaduna. At the ceremony, Asisat Oshoala and Tana Aiyejina retained their awards as Queen of the Pitch and Football Journalist of the Year.^[7] The ceremony was witnessed by The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Barr. Solomon Dalong, the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, NFF 2nd Vice President, Shehu Dikko and other board members. Also present were Sir Mike Okiro, Chairman, Police Service Commission, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Managing Partner, SIAO Partners, Kunle Soname, Chairman, Bet9ja, Super Eagles Interim Coach, Samson Siasia, Super Eagles Captain, Mikel John Obi and all members of the Super Eagles and coaching crew