Dr Olusegun Odegbami (MON)
The Portuguese Coach must be the luckiest gaffer in the world. The confetti of gifts showered on him for coming second in the AFCON 2023 by the federal government of Nigeria must be a world-record in rewards – mouth-watering bonuses, a house and a plot of land in Abuja, and a national honour – Member of the Order of the Niger, MON.
In return, he leaves behind a memento of almost two years of unconvincing football at national team level, no impact on the domestic game, no silverware of any sort, and in the last six weeks of his contract, results from AFCON 2023 that took Nigerians from the depth of hopelessness to the peak of expectations, and a shuddering halt to a wishful dream at the end. Six Nigerians died as a direct result of the pressure-cooker tension they were taken through!
A former Chief of Naval Staff of Nigeria, Admiral JubrilAyinla, was a first-hand witness at the climax of Nigeria’s odyssey at AFCON 2023. He is likely to share his nerve wracking experience with me very soon.
From last weekend, athletes in almost 30 sports events from countries all over the African continent will start to converge at the University of Legon, Accra, Ghana, for the start of the biggest sports event in Africa, the 13th All-African Games.
One of the athletes of the earliest years of the All-African Games, probably the most influential and successful female coach in Nigeria’s athletics history, Armelia Edet, shared her experiences, vision and expectations with me.
It is terrestrially on Eagle7 Sports Radio 103.7fm and online.
Our Reporter
