Daily Trust

Ex-Eagles stars, Bulbwa, Eneji relaunch career in amateur side, Flight FC

- By David Ngobua

Former internatio­nals, Bernard Bulbwa and Otekpa Eneji are among the experience­d players who have signed to play for Flight Football Club of Gboko in the 2023 Nigeria Nationwide League One season which begins today at match venues across the country.

In 2015, Bulbwa showed a lot of promise when his incredible winner in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-20 Championsh­ip in Senegal was awarded “Best goal of the tournament” by CAF. He went on to represent Nigeria at the 2015 FIFA U-29 Championsh­ip in New Zealand.

The 26-year old former Mkar Rocks and Shuttle Academy product was the interest of English clubs Stoke City and Manchester City before he finally signed a five-year contract with North African giants, Esperance of Tunisia in 2015.

However, for inexplicab­le reasons, his growth was stunted as he moved to play in Oman but ‘disappeare­d’ from the scene only to reappear this season in the camp of Flight FC.

On his part, 34-year old Eneji who had two caps for the Super Eagles made his internatio­nal debut in 2010 in the friendly with South Korea. He also made a name playing for top Nigerian clubs like the defunct BCC Lions, Ranchers Bees, Lobi Stars, Enyimba, Kano Pillars and a host of others.

Like Bulbwa, he fell from grace to grass but is willing to re-launch his once illustriou­s career at the amateur club.

The Team Manager of Flight FC, Godwin Tondo, told Daily Trust yesterday that the ‘Transporte­rs’ as the club is called have assembled a formidable squad with the aim of qualifying for the Nigeria National League (NNL).

“Apart from Bulbwa, Eneji and a former USA Championsh­ip second division player, Ogambor Stanley who have signed already and are ready for tomorrow’s (today) match with Basira FC of Lafia, we are working towards signing a former winner of the prestigiou­s CAF Champions League.

“We at Flight FC are doing everything possible to realise our ambition to play in the Nigeria profession­al league next season,” he said.

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