Ojigwe, ex-Eagles player, sworn in as Abia commissioner for sports

Karibe Ojigwe, former Super Eagles midfielder, has been sworn in as the new commissioner for sports in Abia state.

The 44-year-old ex-international was sworn in by Okezie Ikpeazu, the state governor, alongside 26 other commissioners at a ceremony in Umuahia on Tuesday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ikpeazu said the new commissioners were selected to support and better the lives of Abia state residents.

He also urged them to see the appointment as a call of duty while warning that anyone thinking of taking advantage of the position for personal benefit would be “disappointed”.

The ceremony followed after the screening and confirmation of the commissioner-nominees by the state house of assembly.

Ojigwe was born in Aba, Abia state on December 11, 1976.

He began his football career with Enyimba in 1993, impressing for the People’s Elephant until European football called.

He joined FC Kaiserslautern of Germany in 1995 before moving to Koln FC on loan in the 1999/2000 season.

After a return of form with the Bundesliga 2 side, Ojigwe refused to return to his parent club and instead moved to Champions League participant Bayer 04 Leverkusen for a transfer fee of about €1.75 million.

At Leverkusen, he was part of the squad that narrowly lost the 2001/2002 UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid in Glasgow.

At the international level, Ojigwe was part of the Golden Eaglets team that won the U-17 World Cup in 1993. He went on to make 17 appearances for the Super Eagles.