Yusuf Salihu, a former Apex Krane manager, has been hired by Kogi United to serve as its new head coach, and Chidi Oji has been promoted to the role of technical adviser for the team.

Kogi United's chairman, Abdulmalik Isah, welcomed the new head coach at a brief ceremony on Monday in Lokoja. He urged him to use his wealth of experience for the team, saying that his prior employment and track record speak for themselves and were the reasons for his appointment.

Yusuf Salihu was chosen as the team's coach from a long list of candidates, according to Mallam Tijani Ibrahim, the team manager, because of his discipline as a person with military experience and his familiarity with the Nigerian football landscape.

He said one basic ingredient that brings results to an organization is absolute discipline, which he believes the new coach can bring to the team both off and on the field.

The new coach thanked the management of the team for finding him worthy to be appointed and promised not to disappoint.

Salihu said it’s painful to see a big Club like Kogi United FC pass through difficulties, especially in the league, almost every year.

He avowed: “Commitment, loyalty, cohesion, dedication to duty, trust, and a very good working relationship are a few basic ingredients needed by an organization to produce optimum results, and I promised we would be aggressively determined and dedicated to duty, which will, in turn, yield good and positive results.”

He promised to work closely with the technical adviser and other technical staff to ensure that Kogi United takes its rightful place in the Nigerian football circle.

The newly promoted technical adviser, Chidi Oji, said the coaching crew will work hard and closely this season to avoid the mistakes of the past.