KANO Pillars midfielder, Rabiu Ali, and 29 other home-based players have been invited to the Super Eagles B camp by interim coach Austin Eguavoen ahead of this month’s 2024 CHAN qualifiers double header against Ghana.
It’s the third phase of camping for the home-based players following two previous camping organised by the Nigeria Football Federation in November.
The 44-year-old, who has scored eight goals in the 2024/25 NPFL season, alongside Remo Stars’ goalkeeper Kayode Bankole, Rivers United defender Steven Mayo, Abia Warriors’ exciting forward Sunday Megwo and leading Nigeria Premier League top scorer Anas Yusuf are among the 30 players for the assignment.
According to the NFF, the players are to resume camp at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne on Wednesday, December 4, ahead of the first leg which will be played on Sunday, December 22 in Accra with the return leg scheduled for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, December 28.
This list of invited players also includes Enyimba FC goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena, Remo Stars’ trio Jide Fatokun, Ismail Sadiq as well as Junior Nduka, Enugu Rangers’ midfield ace Kazeem Ogunleye, Taiwo Abdulrafiu (Rivers United); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Rangers International) and Victor Collins, the Nasarawa United defender called up for last month’s 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
Ikorodu City captain Waliu Ojetoye also makes the cut just as Saviour Isaac (Rangers International), Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi Warriors), in-form Kwara United man Emmanuel, Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes) and goalkeeper Nurudeen Badmus from Kwara United.
Other players are; Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United), Osy Martins (Lobi Stars), Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars), Temitope Vincent (Plateau United), Samuel Ogunleye (3SC), Abiam Nelson (Kano Pillars), Meyiwa Oritseweyimi (Bendel Insurance), Ngbemena Ikechukwu (Heartland FC), Umar Al-Amin Ibrahim (El-Kanemi Warriors and Adams Aminu Sani (Kano Pillars) forming part of options for Eguavoen in the attack.
The eighth edition of the continental championship – reserved exclusively for footballers plying their trade with clubs in their country’s domestic leagues and possessing standard contracts – is scheduled to run the length of February 2025 in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Ghana stopped Nigeria from reaching the Africa Nations Championship finals in 2009 and 2023. In the qualifiers for the inaugural edition hosted by Ivory Coast, Nigeria took a 2-0 first-half lead in the opening leg in Accra, only to concede three goals in the second half. The return leg in Calabar ended 0-0.
In the qualifiers for the last edition hosted by Algeria, Ghana won 2-0 at home and lost 2-0 in Abuja, but prevailed after a penalty shootout at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
