The veteran coach, who turned 88 on March 5, died on Monday, with his family announcing the news in a WhatsApp message signed by Bolade Adesuyi.
The family described him as “a respected football figure and community leader” and prayed that “your soul will rest perfectly in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Super Eagles paid tribute to the late coach in a statement released on Tuesday via X.
“We commiserate with the family of our former coach, Festus Adegboyega Onigbinde, following his passing. A respected leader and a true servant of Nigerian football. Rest in peace, Coach,” the team said.
Between 1982 and 1984, Onigbinde led Nigeria’s national team—then known as the Green Eagles—to the Africa Cup of Nations final, where they were defeated 3–1 to Cameroon.
After taking over from the late Shuaibu Amodu, he returned in 2002 and led Nigeria to the FIFA World Cup, where the team was eliminated at the group stage with a draw against England and defeats to Argentina and Sweden.
Following his coaching career, Onigbinde continued to be involved in football development and eventually worked as a technical instructor for FIFA and the Confederation of African Football.
