The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed the appointments of Abdu Maikaba and Eboboritse Uwejamomere as head coaches of the Flying Eagles and the Golden Eaglets respectively, as the federation begins a fresh chapter for Nigeria’s youth football programme following a difficult run of results at both continental and global level.

The appointments were endorsed by the NFF Executive Committee following recommendations from the federation’s Technical and Development Committee, and come as part of a broader technical reshuffling of all age-grade national teams. Maikaba steps into the Flying Eagles role vacated by Aliyu Zubairu, who led the team to the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, while Uwejamomere takes over the Golden Eaglets from Manu Garba.

Maikaba is a familiar and well-regarded figure in Nigerian football circles, having spent years managing some of the country’s most prominent clubs in the Nigeria Premier Football League. His CV includes stints at Enyimba FC, Kano Pillars, Wikki Tourists and Plateau United, and he guided Akwa United to victory in the 2017 President Federation Cup Nigeria’s oldest and most prestigious club competition. The soft-spoken tactician is no stranger to the youth national team setup either, having previously coached the Golden Eaglets and later served as assistant to Paul Aigbogun during the latter’s tenure with the Flying Eagles. His wealth of domestic experience makes him a steady hand for the U-20 side as they prepare for the next qualification cycle, beginning with the WAFU B U-20 Championship on the road to the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.

Uwejamomere’s appointment is perhaps the more eye-catching of the two. The 29-year-old, who has spent years embedded within the Super Eagles setup as a coach-analyst, brings a distinctly modern profile to the Golden Eaglets job. He also served in a similar analytical capacity with the Super Falcons, and has youth development coaching experience at English clubs Millwall, Gillingham and Nottingham Forest.

More recently, he has been serving as head of academy at Sporting Lagos, the club that just secured promotion back to the NPFL. His appointment signals a clear intent from the NFF to inject technical analysis and structured player development into the Golden Eaglets programme.

The task ahead for both men is considerable. The Flying Eagles, despite reaching the quarter-finals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup under Ladan Bosso memorably beating hosts Argentina in the round of 16 failed to replicate that run in Chile two years later, going out in the round of 16 after a 4-0 defeat to Argentina.

The Golden Eaglets, five-time world champions and the most decorated side in the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, find themselves in an even more pressing situation, having failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations. They also missed out on the 2026 U-17 AFCON in Morocco after losing to Ghana in the semi-finals of the WAFU B qualifying tournament last year, ending their hopes of reaching the U-17 World Cup in Qatar as well. As part of the same restructuring, Akeem Ishola Busari was also appointed head coach of the Flamingos, Nigeria’s U-17 girls’ team.