How Coach Shakiru Giwa Overcomes Benin Republic Setback, Leads Inter Lagos To Historic NPFL Promotion With Tactical Brilliance

How Coach Shakiru Giwa Overcomes Benin Republic Setback, Leads Inter Lagos To Historic NPFL Promotion With Tactical Brilliance



Head coach Inter Lagos, Shakiru Giwa, has reflected on his remarkable journey from a difficult spell in the Benin Republic to guiding Inter Lagos to promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

Giwa spoke after Inter Lagos finished as runners-up at the NNL Super Four, after sealing a historic promotion campaign built on resilience, tactical discipline and consistency.

Giwa who was appointed in March 2025 guided Inter Lagos to a remarkable 8 wins from 16 games, drew five and lost just three games in the NNL season proper. 

The tactician revealed that many people doubted the club’s chances at the beginning of the season because the team started preparations late, while other clubs were already well into the campaign.

Despite the setback, Giwa said he remained confident in his philosophy that his teams improve as the season progresses.

“We give glory to Almighty God because when we started, nobody gave us a chance because we started late. While every team was going through the season, we had not started, but we just tried to play,” he said.

“One thing I believe always works for me is that the more the season goes on, the more our team improves. We struggled with everything, but the most important thing was that we stayed focused because we really wanted to do well.”

The coach who took charge of the team in the middle of the previous season, disclosed that although the club narrowly missed out on promoting last season with just a point to get to the Super 8, he expressed his delight that they have been to achieve it now through hard work and determination.

“Honestly, we did not expect we would get to this stage, but we worked so hard and at the end of the day everything worked out for us,” he said

Giwa, who once head Stationary Stores of Lagos
also recounted how he returned to Nigeria after leaving JSP, one of the top clubs in the Benin Republic, due to challenges encountered during his time there.

“Last season I coached JSP in the Benin Republic, one of the top clubs there, but I got tired because of the problems there. I came back and met Inter Lagos in mid-season when they needed just one point to qualify for the playoff,” he explained.

According to him, the promotion to the NPFL stands as one of the biggest achievements of his coaching career.

Giwa noted that while he had previously guided Racing FC from the Nationwide League One (NLO) to the Nigeria National League (NNL), helping Inter Lagos reach the NPFL is on another level.

“I have promoted Racing from NLO to the NNL before, so this is not my first time promoting a team, but promoting a team from NNL to the NPFL is a fantastic achievement because it will help my CV,” he stated.

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