Nigeria has produced football families that have graced the national teams over the years across different generations.
Across the globe, families have left indelible marks on the beautiful game, from Denmark’s Peter and Kasper Schmeichel dominating between the sticks to the Laudrup brothers dazzling with their artistry.
There is also Lilian Thuram and his sons, Marcus and Krepian, while the Netherlands have had the Koeman brothers, Erwin and Ronald, feature for the national side.
The Altintop brothers, Hamit and Halil, both played for Turkey, while in Africa, the Hassan brothers, Hossam and Ahmed, featured for their respective countries, as well as Kolo and Yaya Touré for the Ivory Coast.
Nigeria is no stranger to this phenomenon, with notable examples like Wole and Segun Odegbami, two brothers whose brilliance graced the national team.
Sunday Oliseh and his brother Azubuike have also worn the national colours in recent years for Nigeria.
However, here are three interesting family combinations who have featured for Nigeria and etched their names in Nigerian football folklore:
Ndubuisi Okosieme and Nkiru Okosieme – Brother and Sister
The older of the two siblings, Ndubuisi, was a schoolboy star in the former Bendel State, who went on to play for the defunct Flash Flamingos, El-Kanemi Warriors, and Africa Continental Bank (ACB).
He could play as a winger, striker, or in central midfield and was part of Nigeria’s squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1985.
Ndubuisi also featured for Nigeria at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations and scored in the first group game as Nigeria defeated Kenya 3-0.
He started the final game of that competition as Nigeria lost in a controversial manner to Cameroon.
He played abroad for KFC Eeklo and briefly for Chesterfield in England.
Nkiru, his sister, was a child football star in Imo State, Nigeria, growing up and took after her older brother, Ndubuisi.
She featured for Nigeria in the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, playing all the games.
The midfielder was also present at the 1995, 1999 – where she scored against the United States, and 2003 editions of the Women’s World Cup and featured in four editions of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, winning in 1998, 2000, and 2002.
Locally, she played for Rivers Angels and also featured for the Charlotte Lady Eagles in the United States, where she also attended college.
Bright and Courtney Dike – Brother and Sister
Both were born and raised in the United States by immigrant parents and took up football, ultimately featuring for Nigeria.
Bright was an outstanding footballer in the American collegiate scene and was drafted in the first round (12th overall) of the 2010 MLS Super Draft by Columbus Crew.
He caught the attention of national selectors after a few years and was called up for an international friendly against Venezuela in November 2012.
Bright made his debut, lasting 68 minutes. He also made the provisional list for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations but missed the final cut.
The forward scored his first official goal for Nigeria in a friendly match against Italy, starting the game and scoring in the 35th minute with an assist by Shola Ameobi.
Unfortunately, injuries blighted his time with Nigeria, earning him only two caps.
Emmanuel Emenike, another Super Eagles star, is their cousin.
Courtney Dike followed in her brother’s footsteps, featuring for Nigeria at both youth and international levels.
She started at Edmond North High School and later attended Oklahoma State University, where she excelled in the sport.
Courtney was called up to represent the Nigerian U-20 national team for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Canada, where she scored the fastest goal in the competition's history—just 13 seconds into a match against North Korea.
She made the final squad for the Super Falcons at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, hosted by Canada.
Courtney made her World Cup debut, coming on as a substitute for Asisat Oshoala in a 2-0 loss to Australia.
Ndubuisi and Olisa Ndah – Father and Son
The most recent family combination wearing the national colours is the father and son duo of Ndubuisi and Olisa Ndah.
Ndubuisi made his name with Enugu Rangers on the local scene, making great strides with them before being called up to the U-23 national side as they prepared for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
He failed to make the final cut for the Olympic Games and was placed on the alternate list.
In the absence of the foreign-based players in the early stages of the qualifiers, Ndubuisi wore the captain’s armband for the team.
He also played for Legia Warsaw in Poland and Hamrun Spartans in Malta before returning to Nigeria.
Ndubuisi Ndah is currently the head coach of NNL (Nigeria National League) side Edel FC.
Olisa, who plays for South African side Orlando Pirates, followed in his father’s footsteps at a young age, showing immense potential.
The 26-year-old was first noticed at Remo Stars in 2018 and was acquired by Akwa United, where he won the league title with them in 2021.
He then earned a move to the PSL with Orlando Pirates.
Olisa was also part of the Nigeria U-23 team, like his father, and played at the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He was also part of the Super Eagles squad for the AFCON in Cameroon in 2022, playing in the 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
After a three-year absence, Olisa was included in the AFCON qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda in June.
