The head coach of Beyond Limit FC of Ikenne, Olumide Ajibolade, has admitted that he is very excited with his appointment into the technical crew of Nigeria’s under-17 squad, Golden Eaglets.
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The soft-spoken tactician and youth developer from Ijoko said it is a privilege to be officially named as an assistant coach to Manu Garba, who previously led the Eaglets to win the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Olumide Ajibolade will this Wednesday formally resume duty at the Eaglets’ camp in Abuja, where they will prepare for the West African Football Union (WAFU) U17 Nations Cup qualifiers in Ghana.
It will be another level of exposure and talent development for Ajibolade, who recently led Beyond Limit in becoming the first African team to win the Viareggio International Youth Cup in Italy and, just this past Monday, won The Creative Championship (TCC) in Lagos for the fourth time running.
Having also won Value Jet Cup and Ogun State FA Cup at different points in his fledgling career, Coach Olumide embarked on a tour of Europe in 2022 to learn new techniques in youth football, the experience of which he is now bound to transmit in the Eaglets’ camp.
The former coach of Westerlo Football Academy and Clique Sports declared at length that he is now aiming to make the best of his latest appointment, which he described as an unexpected honour.
Ajibolade declared, “I’ve already got the call to join the national team. It’s always a privilege to be able to represent your country.
“Since the NFF have considered me worthy of that position, I’ll only say that I will give my best. I will not take it for granted.
“It’s a privilege and honour for me, but it’s not something that I expected. I did not even look forward to it. I only want to keep getting better in what I’m doing.
“I only want to be better for myself and give the best of my ability to my employer. But, like a Nigerian and a patriotic one, I’m indeed happy.
“It’s an absolute privilege for anyone to be called to represent at the national level. For sure, I am very happy.”
He also stated delight with how his national team appointment coincided with a fourth conquest of The Creative Champions League (TCC) by his club.
Ajibolade added: “It’s a great honour for us to be here. Winning it four times is not a reflection of how competitive or not the league is.
“It is very competitive, and we put in a lot of work every season to bring out this platform to develop our players. We don’t step out to win it every season; we set out to be better. We set out to improve our players.
“We are happy with what we have achieved every season. You can look at our graduates every season … playing in Inter Milan, playing in the biggest clubs in the world. That’s the real gain for us.
“We at this club look forward to continuing to be competitive, and, hopefully, we will continue to do so.”
He concluded with his thoughts about Beyond Limit and the vision of the owner, Kunle Soname, who also happens to run Remo Stars FC in the top-flight Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).
Ajibolade concluded: “I am honoured to be the coach of such a remarkable academy, with a big organisation and facilities.
“The intentions of the owner, with regards to youth development, are unparalleled. That is why it is a privilege for me to be able to be in this project.”
