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By Abiodun Adewale
Officials of the Nigeria Professional Football League were conspicuously absent from the colourful League Bloggers Awards ceremony, which held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island on Tuesday.
Last season’s highest goal scorer in the NPFL, Emeka Obioma and Remo Stars coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, won the LBA player and coach of the season awards respectively for their exploits during the 2023 abridged season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nine other categories of awards were also handed out.
Obioma scored 16 goals last term to help Enyimba to their ninth league title, while Ogunmodede guided Remo to a second-place finish in his first season in charge of the club.
Obioma beat off competition from Remo Stars goalkeeper Kayode Bankole and Rivers United defender Ebube Duru, just as Ogunmodede came tops in the coaches’ category, which also had title-winning coach Finidi George and Monday Odigie of Bendel Insurance.
In the positional awards, Kayode Bankole, who kept eight clean sheets in the league last season, was named Goalkeeper of The Season, his teammate and captain Junior Nduka emerged Defender of The Season, Enyimba’s new man, who featured for Lobi Stars last season, Joseph Atule, is Midfielder of The Season, while Obioma was again named the Striker of The Season.
Bayelsa United striker, Robert Mizo, was named the Rookie of The Season for helping the newcomers escape relegation with his nine goals during the regular season, while Liberia’s Albert Korvah of Rivers United won the Best Foreign Player award.
For his performance in the NPFL Youth League, Plateau United’s Umar Bala won the Young Player of The Season award.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Government won the Best Government Sponsorship of NPFL Team for their efforts with Bendel Insurance, who set an NPFL record 21-game unbeaten run in the league, even as their partners, Sterling Bank, won the Best Brand in Sponsorship.
The new NPFL season kicks off September 8 with the draws for the season’s fixtures expected to hold August 29.