Nasarawa United’s Najeem Olukokun has won the NIgeria Profesiojal Football League (NPFL) VAT wonder goal award.
The Oyo-born striker defeated Sunshine Stars striker Sikiru Alimi, who was coasting to his second win of the award.
Olukokun, who played for 3SC last season, edged Alimi out by securing higher votes on the website platform.
It would have been a record win for Alimi this season after he was voted the winner of the Matchday 16 award.
A report on NPFL’s website said Alimi’s goal secured the highest votes on Twitter, polling 187 of the 519 votes while Olukokun came second with 156. Other nominees, Reuben Bala of Plateau United and Seka Pascal of FC Ifeanyiubah ended with 88 votes each.
But it was on the website that attracted more voters that Olukokun had his way securing a whopping 3,303 votes to Alimi’s equally impressive 1,057 votes. Bala had 50 votes while Seka could only muster 22 votes.
In all, there were 4,951 fans who voted across both platform and Olukokun clinched the award with 3,460 votes with Alimi trailing him in second place with a total of 1,244. For Bala, the total votes came to 138 and Seka 110.
Olukokun is the first Nasarawa United player to top the awards since it was instituted three seasons ago and will receive a cash reward of N150,000, half of which will be donated to a charity organization he will nominate from the city where the club is based.
He joins the elite list that includes Rivers United duo of Emeka Ogbugh and Sochima Elum, Alimi, Rangers duo of Kelvin Itoya, and Tope Olusesi and Sikiru Olatunbosun of MFM who have won the award this season.
The award presentation ceremony will hold at the Lafia City Stadium on Sunday when Nasarawa United hosts Enyimba International on Matchday 24.
The VAT Wonder Goal is an initiative of the League Management Company (LMC) to extend club and community engagement through charity. It has been supported by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as part of its tax education campaign to enlighten citizens on the benefits of fulfilling their tax obligations.
