31st July, 2022
By Victor Okoye
Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo, lauded the Bendel Insurance FC, saying that their new template is worth emulating other clubs’ football administration.
Shaibu stated this in Abuja after the round of 64 encounter between Bendel Insurance of Benin and Junior Katsina United.
Bendel Insurance defeated the Katsina United feeder team 2-0 at the end of a keenly contested encounter at the FIFA Goal Project pitch. The winning goals by Imade Oserenkhoe and Deputy Echeta in both halves of the match secured passage to the Round of 32.
Shaibu said; “Ours is to make sure that Bendel Insurance and Edo Queens set the template in terms of welfare and what club administration and organisation should look like.
“The truth is that, we are not just grooming a team for the future, but we are also building a team that will be a role model to other clubs.
“For instance, the young boy, Imade (Oserenkhoewho) who scored the first goal for Insurance is a university graduate as well as a lot of other players in the team. We are combining not just football, but sports in general with education,” he said.
He noted that for other players in the team who were not educated, arrangements had been made to ensure that during the mid-season and spare time, they were engaged through the ‘Edo job scheme’ to learn one skill or the other.
According to him, the idea was to ensure that after 35 or a maximum of 40 years when they are done with active football, they can have something to fall back on.
“We have a lot of ex-internationals in Edo right now who are not able to feed their families, and so we don’t want a repeat of that.
“So, we are using this team to reset not only today but to reset and correct what happened yesterday for a better future,” he said.
The deputy governor revealed that the target of the team was to ensure that they stayed up at the end of the 2022/2023 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season and compete favourably with the top teams.
“Our inspiration is to remain in the NPFL. The last time we qualified, you know, that was the year we played an abridged league and almost all the teams came back.
“This time, we are working ahead of the NPFL new season to make sure that we not only stay there, but we compete favourably with the top teams.
“You can see that Akwa United came and did the ‘flash’. They had an unbeaten run and won the league. Rivers United has also done the same. They also did the ‘flash’ and won the league in style last season.
“Bendel Insurance’s target is not to do a one-off thing, but rather to come, win and stay,” he said.
NAN