Experienced tactician Abdu Maikaba has stated that he is yet to be officially confirmed as the head coach of Nigeria’s U-20 men’s side, the Flying Eagles, despite media reports linking him to the position.
The former Wikki Tourists manager said he only applied for the vacancy and has not received any formal notification or approval from the Nigeria Football Federation.
He explained during a telephone interview that the selection process is still ongoing and no official communication has been made to him regarding the job.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee continues to assess applicants for various national team coaching roles. Recent updates show that new technical teams have been put in place for the Flamingos, Nigeria’s U-17 girls team, under Akeem Busari, while Moses Aduku has been assigned to lead the Falconets, the U-20 women’s team.
In a separate development, former Super Eagles stars Samson Siasia and Daniel Amokachi are reportedly among those being considered for the U-23 national team coaching job ahead of the qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Nigeria, who won Olympic football gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, have struggled to replicate that success in recent tournaments, with their last medal coming as a bronze at Rio 2016.
For the Golden Eaglets position, several candidates are also being evaluated, including Shola Adegun, Olumide Ajibolade, Eboboritse Uwejamomere, and former international Sani Kaita.
Adegun and Ajibolade are known for their roles with Sporting Lagos Academy and Beyond Limits Football Academy, while Uwejamomere has worked as a performance analyst with the senior national team.
The Golden Eaglets, five-time champions of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, have unfortunately missed qualification in the last two editions.
The NFF is expected to make official announcements on all coaching appointments in the coming days.
