Abia State Governor Alex Otti has approved the appointment of former Super Eagles skipper and two-time CAF Player of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu as the new chairman of Enyimba International Football Club of Aba.
The club’s longest-serving chairman, Felix Anyansi Agwu, who oversaw the team for 24 years, will be replaced by Nwankwo.
Kanu’s appointment was confirmed by the Abia State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu yesterday in a terse press statement which read thus: “Sporting legend and former Super Eagles’ star, Mr. Kanu Nwankwo has been appointed to supervise Enyimba Football Club to strengthen the team and make it win more laurels for the State.”
Kanu received the coveted African Footballer of the Year title twice, the first time in 1996 after helping Nigeria win the first football gold medal for Africa at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1999, when he was still playing for Arsenal, he performed again.
Under Anyansi, Enyimba became a household name across the continent as the first Nigerian club to win the continent’s most prestigious club competition, the CAF Champions League trophy in 2003, and made an encore in 2004. The club also won the African Super Cup twice in 2004 and 2005.
On the domestic Nigeria football scene, Enyimba won a record nine Nigeria Premier Football League titles as well as four national cups otherwise known as Federation Cup among other laurels.
Kanu’s immediate task is to help the Peoples’ Elephant successfully defend the title they won last season.
The Aba giants will also compete in the CAF Champions League, where they will look to win a third title.
Enyimba is the most successful club in Nigeria with nine NPL, two CAF Champions League, two CAF Super Cup, and four Federation Cup titles.
