Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Emmanuel Ikpeme, has applauded Edo Queens, Rivers United, Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors for their strong performances in continental competitions.
Ikpeme particularly praised Edo Queens for successfully reclaiming the WAFU-B Women’s Champions League title after defeating Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies in the final in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Speaking to reporters at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, on Sunday, Ikpeme said the federation is proud of the Edo-based club’s achievement.
“The NFF is very proud of the achievement of Edo Queens. It is no mean feat, as they had to do battles with equally ambitious and focused teams,” he said.
Edo Queens defeated Ampem Darkoa 4-1 on penalties after the two sides played out a 2-2 draw in a fiercely contested final at Stade 4 August on Saturday night.
The triumph saw the Nigerian champions reclaim the WAFU-B trophy they won in 2024 and book their place in this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
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Ikpeme described the achievement as particularly impressive because Ampem Darkoa were the only team to defeat Edo Queens during the group stage of the tournament.
The NFF acting general secretary also commended Rivers United for holding FC San Pedro of Côte d’Ivoire to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their CAF Champions League first preliminary-round fixture in Abidjan.
He praised Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors for securing victories in their respective home fixtures in the CAF Confederation Cup.
“We are happy for them as we monitored all the matches and noticed their efforts,” Ikpeme said.
He expressed confidence that Shooting Stars have what it takes to withstand the challenge from CS Sfaxien in the return leg in Tunisia.
Ikpeme also urged Enugu Rangers to secure a positive result away against their Benin Republic opponents to advance to the second round of the competition.
On El-Kanemi Warriors, he advised the Maiduguri club not to become complacent despite their convincing home victory.
“El-Kanemi Warriors got a handsome win but they should not rest on their oars. They should go to Guinea-Bissau and play their hearts out to gain even more confidence ahead of the second-round matches,” he said.
Ikpeme added that the NFF would continue to follow the progress of Nigeria’s representatives and encourage them to secure favourable results in the return legs of their continental engagements.
