Dede made her first appearance for the Super Falcons in a major competition in the 2003 Women’s World Cup in the United States.
The 36-year-old went on to feature in 2007, 2011 and 2015 editions. She also played in the Olympic tournaments of Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. She featured in the African Women's Championship tournaments of 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014, winning it twice (2010, 2014).
After 15 years and 99 caps, the Ibom Queens goalkeeper has chosen to retire from the female national football team.
“I feel that I have tried after 15 years with the national team. For me that is a very good record, and it was about time I left the stage for the younger ones. They are equally good, they can carry on, she is quoted to say by Vangaurd.
“I wanted to quit before the last World Cup, but I was asked to come back and play.”
“It was very disappointing (Falcons performance at Canada 2015) because I’d thought we had what it took to get as far as the final or even the semis, but I thank God though.”