A legend for all seasons, by Simbo Olorunfemi
I was getting set to go out yesterday when I saw Chief Segun Odegbami on TV. I just had to take a break to hear him out. I wondered what it was, knowing how at different times, I have seen him pushing passionately for one cause or the other.
Yesterday, he was there, in the company of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Christopher Musa to talk about the African Military Games. It was the Military Games, but there was no missing that unmistakable passion and excitement in Segun Odegbami, once it has to do with any of his favourite subjects, which could be Sports, Administration of Sports, leadership or even politics. He is an absolutely brilliant mind and an engaging communicator.
I found myself thinking, marvelled at the longevity of Segun Odegbami’s starpower, how he has remained fresh and relevant for almost 5 decades, reinventing himself in different ways, yet being himself, the Mathematical Odegbami who burst onto the Nigerian public space, not on the wings of Engineering, which he studied, but on account of his mathematical approach to Football.
His name was already on our lips as primary school pupils, made more popular by musicians who weaved lyrics with his name following his exploits with the IICC Shooting Stars i n the 70s. But my recognition of him as a Superstar was through either Spear or Joy magazine, which had the photographs of his wedding splashed across many pages. From what I saw or able to recollect, it was a celebrity wedding the like of which had never been seen, and might have not been seen for a Nigerian Footballer since then.
Segun Odegbami was loved, adored by many, with his legendary status confirmed with his exploits in the 1980 African Cup of Nations, helping the Nigerian team led by Chairman Christian Chukwu to win that title on home soil. If my memory serves me well, Segun Odegbami scored 2 of the 3 goals in the final.
Injury will force him into retirement earlier than he would have wished. Not making it out of the country to play football outside the shores of Nigeria to showcase his prodigious talents and dribbling skills is a travesty that it’s difficult to get over, even though we know the times were simply different.
Segun might have retired early from Football, but he never left football, just as the game never left him. He has gone on to play many roles in and around the game. Analyse it, present Football shows on TV and Radio, as well as administer it at some level, even if vested interests frustrated the different attempts he made to head the Nigerian Football Association (Federation).
It was in the 90s that I eventually got to meet the Legend in person. First at his Yaba office (Worldwide Sports). It was to invite him to come on the MEE Mode Damijo’s MEE and YOU Show, which I produced, to come talk about a project he was involved in at the time, which had to do with the rehabilitation of street children.
Segun Odegbami, of course, had already made a mark in writing about Sports (Complete Football) and presentation/analysis on TV. He would even go beyond Football on TV. He had the Breakfast with Segun Odegbami, on which I was once or twice, offering us opposite to promote some of our projects.
While many Sportsmen of his generation and even generations after him have long been forgotten, many falling on hard times, Segun Odegbami has managed himself (physically and otherwise) in such a way that he has not only continued to be relevant, but at the driver’s seat for different projects.
His TV Series on the Eagles on 1994 Super Eagles as they went on to play, for the first time, in the World Cup will remain evergreen. Segun Odegbami will come to the fore again in 1996 to midwife the victory of Chioma Ajunwa at the Olympics, delivering the first Olympic Gold medal for Nigeria.
It is difficult to believe that Segun Odegbami is 72. He is as fit and trim as he was back in the day. He is as active as he has always been. One would find it difficult to believe his age. I doubt if there is any major tournament since 1994 which he has not attended present and filed reports from. His sharpness of mind and ability to recollect past events make his writings and contributions compelling.
He is always full of ideas and dreams, thinking of one project or the other to make Nigeria great. He is never tired of advocating and pushing one cause or the other. Never about himself. He is always there, rallying support, one way or the other, for other legends in the game, mobilising support for indigent sportsmen who have either fallen on hard times or are faced with health challenges.
Not once have I seen Chief Odegbami show any form of resentment or bitterness over his lack of success in getting to lead the Football Federation, despite the quality of his ideas. Over the years, he has continued to do the work in his corner, in his personal capacity. He has a Football Academy in Ogun State. He also runs a Radio Station there.
Segun Odegbami must be one of the first Football Stars whose celebrity status transcended the game turning him to a legend beyond the game he played. But it is staying power that I find most instructive. How he has managed to navigate the challenges that come with stardom these many years, to continue to stand strong and relevant is worthy of interrogation.
No airs around him, quite unassuming too, Mathematical Odegbami must have a formula he is yet to let out on how he has been able to pack many lives into one rich life of his, leaving brilliant marks on different tracks.
A legend indeed. Segun Odegbami, a legend for all seasons.
