11th August, 2022
By Jethro Ibileke
Edo Deputy Governor of Philip Shaibu has given hint of his plan to retire from league football after featuring in the game the last in the 2021/2022 Nigeria National League to be played on Friday.
Shaibu will play for Bendel Insurance FC against Vandrezzer FC of Lagos in the match that will be played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.
Shaibu revealed his plan to quit the round leather game while addressing the management of Bendel Insurance FC on Wednesday ahead of the end of the
end of the abridged NNL before the Super 4 tournament.
Shaibu made history as the only known seating deputy governor in the world to play in his country’s football league.
It is pertinent to note that he has been instrumental to the progress of the Edo state-sponsored team since assumption of office as deputy governor of the state.
He, however, emphasized that his retirement from football does not mean he is abandoning the course of taking the team to enviable height as envisioned by the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
It would be recalled that Shaibu inspired Insurance FC to gain promotion from NNL to NPFL in 2018/2019 football season.
Although the team went down the following season, he has again helped Insurance FC secured another promotion to NPFL this season and has been a big morale boaster to his team mates.
Insurance FC has already secured promotion to NPFL with 46 points to lead group B1, nine points above second placed Gateway Utd before the last group games on Friday. So, the Friday match may be taken as a mere formality.