President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Philips, has shown support for President Bola Tinubu’s ongoing reforms in Nigerian football. He called on stakeholders and the media to help improve transparency, professionalism, and accountability in how the game is run.
Mr Philips made this statement on Tuesday at the 12th Nigeria Pitch Awards ceremony in Lagos. Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Stanley Nwabali were among the top winners of the night.
Osimhen took home two major awards, winning the Rashidi Yekini Award for Best Striker of the Year and the King of the Pitch award. Iwobi was named Midfielder of the Year, while Bassey won the Defender of the Year award, and Nwabali was honoured as the Goalkeeper of the Year.
Rasheedat Ajibade was named Queen of the Pitch, while Justine Madugu won Coach of the Year for his work with the Super Falcons. Remo Stars were recognised as the Team of the Year.
During the ceremony, Mr Philips said the awards came at a crucial time for Nigerian football, as reforms are taking place in the country's football administration. He praised President Tinubu for his bold actions and urged everyone to support the reform process.
“The ongoing reforms within the relevant regulatory institutions present both opportunities and responsibilities. Reform needs courage, transparency, accountability, and a willingness to embrace better ways of doing things,” he said.
Mr Philips specifically asked the media, which he called the “powerful Fourth Estate of the Realm,” to back the presidential initiative. He stated that the reforms should strengthen football administration, improve professionalism and transparency, and create an environment where talent can grow.
He also highlighted the importance of recognising excellence, saying awards can inspire young footballers and acknowledge the contributions of coaches, administrators, referees, journalists, and fans. He mentioned that the organisers have faced financial challenges in keeping the annual event going due to rising costs of logistics, production, and publicity.
Despite these issues, Mr Philips assured that the organisers are committed to celebrating those who contribute to Nigerian football. He announced that the Nigeria Pitch Awards will introduce an Emerging Star Award in the next edition.
This new category will honour Nigeria’s most promising football star under 18 and is aimed at encouraging competition and talent development at the grassroots level. He also mentioned that voting for the 2026 edition will start in December, while the 13th award ceremony in 2027 will be preceded by a symposium.
The 12th ceremony was delayed from its original date. Mr Philips clarified that the awards being presented were for the 2025 edition. He reaffirmed the credibility of the awards’ voting process, explaining that winners are chosen by a College of Voters made up of sports editors from across the country.
He stated that the voting pattern would be shared after the ceremony so that nominees and voters can see how the votes were counted. Kunle Soname, chairman of Remo Stars, received the Sam Okwaraji Award and also won the Sportsmanship Award.
The Nigeria Police Force and the Niger Delta Development Commission were given the Special Achievement in Sports Award. Lagos State won the award for the State with the Best Grassroots Football Development Programme, while the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo was named Football Pitch of the Year.
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, was named Football Friendly Governor of the Year, while MTN Nigeria received the Corporate Sponsor of Football Award. In the journalism categories, Charles Diya of New Telegraph won the Print award, Cecilia Omorogbe of Channels Television won TV, Anthony Bekederemo of Brila 88.9 FM won Radio, and Samuel Ahmadu of Savid News/Nigeriafootball.ng won Online.
Mr Philips thanked the National Sports Commission, Nigeria Football Federation, SIAO Partners, and the Nigerian media for their support.
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