Sulaimon Folarin, popularly known as ‘Lama,’ the assistant coach of Remo Stars, has showered praise on head coach Daniel Ogunmodede, nicknamed ‘Ijaball,’ for the team’s stellar performance in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) this season. Lama attributes his success—and that of the coaching staff—to Ogunmodede’s unwavering trust and leadership.
The duo, who have collaborated for three years, have forged a formidable partnership that has kept Remo Stars flying high. This season, Ogunmodede, who also serves on the coaching staff of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, missed 10 NPFL matches due to national team duties. In his absence, Lama, alongside assistant coach Yinka Shokabi and the rest of the coaching team, took the reins—and delivered spectacularly. The team won seven matches and drew three, maintaining an unbeaten record both at home and on the road.
In a telephone interview, Lama lauded Ogunmodede’s faith in his staff as the cornerstone of their success. “We’ve played 10 matches without the head coach, who was on national duty, and we won 7 while drawing 3,” he said. “This is a result of Coach Ogunmodede’s trust in me, my immediate assistant, Coach Yinka Shokabi, and the other coaches.”
Lama highlighted the team’s motivation during Ogunmodede’s absences, noting that both players and assistant coaches step up to honor their head coach. “Each time Coach Dan is on national team assignment, the assistant coaches and players want to do more,” he explained. “We want to show our love and respect for him and repay his trust in us.”
While acknowledging the difficulty of working without Ogunmodede’s dynamic presence, Lama credited their long-standing synergy for keeping the team on track. “It’s not easy, but the trust and understanding we’ve built over nearly three years help a lot,” he said. “I understand his philosophy, and the results speak for themselves. I doubt any other coach has gone 10 NPFL games unbeaten this season. That shows our level of understanding.”