New captain of Rivers United of Port Harcourt, Nyima Nwagua, has described his appointment as a rare opportunity to lead and serve as first among equal squad member of the one of Nigeria’s biggest football franchises.
Nwagua stated this while reacting to his being handed the captain’s armband of the club, vacated by veteran defender Austine Festus.
“First, I thank God for the opportunity to captain a great team like Rivers United. My gratitude also goes to the head coach, Stanley Eguma, who deemed me fit and able for this position,” he stated.
The 30-year-old who plays as center forward described Rivers United as “an ambitious team that wants to win every trophy”; so he sees his ascension to the position of captain, as a call to do more for the team.
Nwagua was one of the key players that fired Rivers United to league title in the 2021/2022 season, during which they won their first ever Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title, under the guidance of Coaches Eguma and Fatai Osho, who has now joined rivals, Akwa United of Uyo.
He was also among the few exceptional players last season, as Rivers United challenged for silverware in two fronts – the NPFL and CAF Confederation Cup.
The team eventually crashed out of the Confederation Cup at the quarterfinal stage, and after losing 0-2 on aggregate to Young Africans of Tanzania; before narrowly falling short in the defense of their NPFL title.
Despite finishing the season-ending Super Six on nine points, same as Remo Stars of Ikenne and Enyimba FC of Aba, the Pride of Rivers had to settle for 3rd, with an inferior goals difference to both Remo Stars and eventual champions, Enyimba FC.
“It’s surely not going to be a tea party, we came so close last season and felt bad for our selves and our fans, for not being able to defend the title. So this is a call to duty, not just for me alone, but for every member of the squad”, the striker added.
According to him, a lot is being done behind the scene by the coaching crew, who are working very hard to strengthen the team with quality additions, following the depature of some key players, like forward Maurice Chukwu, who joined Rwandan Army team APR recently.
“My goal in the upcoming season is to improve my game, put the team first always, encourage every other player to give our best so that we can win more laurels for the club and people of the state.”
Prior to joining River United in 2021, the right-footed Nyima played for Kano Pillars for five seasons; leading to the 2020/21 campaign, during which he scored four goals in 14 appearances.
Meanwhile, his predecessor, Austine Festus, has been named as the club’s new team coordinator.
Festus, who started his career in the NPFL with Bendel Insurance of Benin; first joined Rivers United in 2016, from the now defunct Dolphins, having helped the team win the 2011 league title.
