'Azamen and demons’ – Why Nigerians FEAR for new, youthful Golden Eaglets coach Uwejamomere

The era of the recyclable veteran coaches has been officially declared dead following the appointment of a new coach for Nigeria’s national U17 team, the Golden Eaglets.

In a move that has surprised Nigerian football fans and followers, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has snubbed the usual suspects to name Eboboritse Uwejamomere as the new boss of the five-time world champions.

But as the news of the ‘laptop coach’ broke on Thursday evening, the conversation quickly shifted from his impressive resume to a much darker reality: Can a modern, data-driven mind survive the ‘demons’ of Nigerian football in the NFF?

Uwajamomere isn’t just a fresh face; he’s an analytical powerhouse with a globetrotting resume that makes the oldies look obsolete.

• Uwe is also a coach-analyst for the senior national teams, the Super Eagles and Africa’s finest women’s team, the Super Falcons.

This fan reaction summed up the shock in this particular appointment from the NFF for Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets.

Another impressed Nigerian added, “Young, well-spoken, proven track record. This is refreshing for a change, I like this.”

The appointment has been hailed by Nigerians as a ‘right step in the proper direction’ for a country that has struggled to modernise its development stages.

“This is a refreshing appointment,” an excited fan stated, with another noting, “I wish him all the best because the pressure (internally and externally) go choke.”

However, the most controversial comment on the appointment ignores the coach’s tactics and focuses on something more pertinent – corruption.

For this Nigerian, intelligence is a liability in a system run by shadowy agents and ‘benefit boys’, who they believe have access to the NFF.

Whether Uwejamomere’s laptop can overcome the ‘Azzamen’ remains the biggest story in Nigerian football today following his appointment.