Veteran Bendel Insurance forward Charles Omokaro says the ‘Benin Arsenal’ are in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) “to stay” not “to add numbers” following their one all draw at Remo Stars in their first top-flight game for eleven years.
Omokaro opened the scoring for Insurance at the Gateway International Stadium on Sunday but Victor Mbaoma restored parity for Remo Stars who themselves were newly promoted to the NPFL after a year in the second tier.
With both sides having faced off in the group stage of the Nigeria National League (NNL) Super Eight, Omokaro who expressed his delight with the result, believes that encounter in the promotion playoffs – won by Insurance by a goal to nil – gave the Benin Arsenal the edge on Sunday.
“I feel very happy because we know we would get this point because all of us we were together in Aba we know their strength they know our strength we are very happy for this,” Omokaro told busybuddiesng.com.
“[The game in the Super Eight] prepared us further and harder because we were not in the same zone in the NNL but playing them in the Super Eight was a good thing. It was time for us to size ourselves which we really planned for, thank God it benefitted us.”
Insurance’s return to the top flight was celebrated with much fanfare and having gained promotion to the NPFL following eleven harrowing years in the lower rungs of league football, Omokaro says the ‘Benin Arsenal’
“The confidence is back, our target we are coming to the NPFL after eleven years, it is not an easy job because we know we are not here to add numbers we are here to stay.”
