Nigeria has lost one of its most respected football tacticians, Festus Adegboye Onigbinde, who passed away on Monday, March 9, at the age of 88.

Chief Onigbinde, a former head coach of the Nigeria national football team, popularly known as the Super Eagles, was widely regarded as a disciplined strategist and a key contributor to the development of Nigerian football.

He led Nigeria to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. Although the team exited the tournament at the group stage without recording a victory, his tenure remains part of Nigeria’s long history of participation on the global football stage.

Earlier, Onigbinde had managed the national team between 1982 and 1984. During that period, he guided the Eagles to the final of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished as runners-up after losing to the Cameroon national football team.

At club level, Onigbinde also enjoyed success with Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, leading the side to the final of Africa’s premier club competition, then known as the Africa Club Champions Cup.