EXCLUSIVE: 2018 Nigeria Pitch Awards To Hold In Port Harcourt

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of SIAO Partners with President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Philips. 

There are strong indications that this year’s Nigeria Pitch Awards Ceremony will hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

PM EXPRESS gathered from reliable sources that the Awards which enters its fifth edition this year, and has Captain of Super Eagles, John Mikel Obi, Chelsea midfielder, Victor Moses and head coach of the senior national team, Gernor Rohr among the shortlisted nominees will be staged in Port Harcourt.

The Nigeria Pitch Awards are awards presented to Nigerian former and present sports people, administrators and journalists in recognition of their positive contributions to sports in Nigeria. The first Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony was held on November 16, 2013 in Calabar, Cross River State. The 2nd Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony was held on June 13, 2015 in Abuja. The 3rd Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony was held on March 25, 2016, in at Hotel Seventeen in Kaduna.

PM EXPRESS scooped that the organizers would soon announced the host city and other details for the awards night very soon.

At a media conference organised to announce the nominees for this year’s awards recently in Lagos, the organisers revealed that Mikel is expected to battle Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Moses in the category of best mildfielder of the year,while Rohr will face Fidelis Ilechuckwu of MFM and Kennedy Boboye of Pleateu United in the category of Best Coach of the Year.

In other category, Carl Ikeme is shortlisted along with Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Dele Ajiboye in the Best goalkeeper of the year.

The annual Nigeria Pitch Awards is being put together by the SIAO Partners, Nigeria’s foremost accounting firm. SIAO Partners is known to be an independent votes collation body.

Notable personalities at the unveiling of nominees included Pastor Ituah Ighodalo of SIAO Partners; Ms. Aisa Falode (Chairperson of Nigeria Women Football League); veteran thespian Segun Arinze; award-winning teenage actress, Esther-Whyte Bassey and a host of other distinguished media personalities.

THE NOMINEES

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

1. Carl Ikeme Wolverhampton Wanderers

2. Ikechukwu Ezenwa Ifeanyi Ubah FC

3. Dele Ajiboye Plateau United FC

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

1. Leon Balogun FSV Mainz 05

2. William Troost-Ekong Bursapor FC

3. Shehu Abdullahi Anothosis Famagusta FC

MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR

1. John Mikel Obi Tianjin Teda

2. Wilfred Ndidi Leicester City FC

3. Victor Moses Chelsea FC

STRIKER OF THE YEAR

1. Victor Moses Chelsea FC

2. Anthony Okpotu Lobi Stars FC

3. Odion Ighalo Changchun Yatai

MVP (MEN) IN THE NPFL

1. Ikechukwu Ezenwa Ifeanyi Ubah FC

2. Stephen Odey MFM FC/FC Zurich

3. Anthony Okpotu Lobi Stars FC

MVP (WOMEN) IN THE NWFL

1. Charity Rueben Ibom Angels

2. Rasheedat Ajibade FC Robo

3. Amarachi Okonkwo Nasarawa Amazons

COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Fidelis Elechukwu MFM FC

2. Gernot Rohr Super Eagles

3. Kennedy Boboye Plateau United

CLUB/TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. Super Eagles

2. Plateau United FC

3. MFM FC

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

1. Ferdinand Udoh

2. Adebimpe Quadri

3. Ogabor Joseph

STATE WITH THE BEST GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

1. Lagos State

2. Rivers State

3. Delta State

FOOTBALL FRIENDLY GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

1. His Excellency Godwin Obaseki Edo State

2. His Excellency Emmanuel Udom Akwa Ibom State

3. His Excellency Akinwunmi Ambode Lagos State

SAM OKWARAJI AWARD FOR COMMITMENT TO NIGERIAN FOOTBALL

1. Shehu Dikko 2nd Vice President, NFF

2. Amaju Melvin Pinnick President, NFF

3. Chief Ifeanyi Ubah Chairman, Ifeanyi Ubah FC

CORPORATE SPONSOR OF FOOTBALL AWARD

1. Aiteo Group

2. Nigerian Breweries plc

3. Coca Cola plc

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (PRINT)

1. Johnny Edwards Complete Sports

2. Tana Aiyejina Punch Newspapers

3. Olalekan Okusan The Nation Newspapers

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (RADIO)

1. Godwin Enakhena Top Radio FM

2. Olawale Adigun Top Radio FM

3. Tony Bekederemo Brila FM

FOOTBALL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (TV)

1. Austin Okon-Akpan Channels TV

2. Godwin Enakhena LTV/SportsSplash

3. Mozez Praiz Supersport

QUEEN OF THE PITCH

1. Rasheedat Ajibade FC Robo

2. Rueben Charity Ibom Angels

3. Asisat Oshoala Dalian Quanjian

KING OF THE PITCH

1. Victor Moses Chelsea FC

2. Wilfred Ndidi Leicester City FC

3. John Mikel Obi Tiajin Teda