Victor Osimhen claimed the King of the Pitch prize and the Rashidi Yekini Award for Best Striker at the 12th Nigeria Pitch Awards in Lagos, giving the Super Eagles forward the night’s biggest individual haul.
The result put Osimhen ahead of a field that included several established national-team players. Alex Iwobi took Midfielder of the Year, Calvin Bassey won Defender of the Year and Stanley Nwabali secured Goalkeeper of the Year ahead of Maduka Okoye and Remo Stars goalkeeper Kayode Bankole.
Nwabali’s victory came after a three-player contest in the goalkeeper category, while Iwobi and Bassey collected the top honours in midfield and defence. The spread of winners covered key positions in the Super Eagles squad.
Rasheedat Ajibade took the Queen of the Pitch honour after leading the Super Falcons, while Justine Madugu was named Coach of the Year following Nigeria’s victorious Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco. The title was Nigeria’s 10th WAFCON triumph.
Remo Stars added a team honour to the individual prizes, taking Team of the Year. The club’s chairman, Kunle Soname, collected the Sam Okwaraji Award and Sportsmanship Award.
The ceremony extended beyond players and coaches, with Lagos State taking Best Grassroots Football Development Programme and the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo winning Football Pitch of the Year. Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno was named Football Friendly Governor of the Year.
MTN Nigeria won Corporate Sponsor of Football, while the Nigeria Police Force and Niger Delta Development Commission received Special Achievement in Sports honours.
The event also provided a platform for discussion about changes to the running of the sport. Nigeria Pitch Awards president Dr Shina Phillips praised President Bola Tinubu’s support for the reform process and called for stronger accountability, transparency and professionalism. He urged sports media to support measures that protect stakeholders and improve the development of young players.
The organisers will introduce an Emerging Star category from the next edition for the most promising Nigerian footballer under 18. Voting for the 2026 edition will begin in December, while the 2027 ceremony will include a symposium before the main event.
The College of Voters, made up mainly of sports editors and managers, worked alongside the National Sports Commission, Nigeria Football Federation and SIAO Partners in the awards process, according to Phillips.
Journalists from four media platforms completed the reporting categories. Charles Diya of New Telegraph won in print, Cecilia Omorogbe of Channels Television took the television prize, Anthony Bekederemo of Brila 88.9 FM won the radio category and Samuel Ahmadu of Savid News/Nigeriafootball.ng claimed the online journalism honour.
