Ex-Footballer, SEGUN ODEGBAMI Tells City People
In May 2025, Segun Odegbami was appointed the Grand Sports Ambassador of Ogun State by Governor Dapo Abiodun, a symbolic and strategic move ahead of the Gateway Games 2024—the 22nd edition of the National Sports Festival. It was both a recognition of excellence and a call to service.
Odegbami, a towering figure in Nigerian sports, now shoulders the responsibility of guiding Ogun State’s preparations and sporting vision with the same precision and brilliance that once defined his legendary football career.
Born on 27th August, 1952, in Lagos and raised in the tranquil hills of Jos, Plateau State, Patrick Olusegun Odegbami’s life journey has been extra-ordinary. Nicknamed “Mathematical” for his sharp, calculated style of play, he brought a rare blend of intellect and artistry to the football pitch, perhaps influenced by his engineering education at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
Odegbami’s football story is tightly woven with Shooting Stars Football Club, the team he loyally served from 1970 to 1984. Under his leadership, the club lifted the Nigerian Premier League titles in 1976, 1980, and 1983, and made history by becoming the first Nigerian side to win a continental title, the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976.
But his legacy reached even greater heights on the international stage. Donning the Green and White of Nigeria, Odegbami earned 47 caps and netted 22 goals for the Super Eagles. His defining moment came in 1980, when he played a pivotal role in securing Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations title. On that day, he was not just a footballer, he was a symbol of national pride.
After hanging up his boots, Odegbami refused to retreat from the public eye. Instead, he transformed into a cultural voice, writing columns, appearing on talk shows, and promoting sports development across the continent. In 2022, he launched Eagles 7 Sports Radio 103.7 FM, a vibrant hub for sports commentary and debate, further solidifying his role as a guardian of Nigerian sports.
Now, with his latest role in Ogun State, Segun Odegbami brings the full weight of his experience, athlete, mentor, broadcaster, and statesman, to bear on a new chapter. His story is not just about football; it’s about vision, leadership, and the enduring power of sports to shape a nation.
A few days ago, City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE and Reporter, BENPRINCE EZEH spent quality time with Big Seg in his house in Abeokuta. He had just finished playing at the Sports Club and we met over breakfast at his residence, during which he spoke on his role as the Ambassador of the just concluded National Sports Festival, Ogun 2025. and his new assignment as a Sports Consultant. Below are excerpts from the chat.
You were made an Ambassador for the National Sports Festival. What role did you play?
They made me Ambassador for the games. I played my role, played my role in my own way. I promoted it. I was part of the face of the games. In my media space, I did my best. I spoke on behalf of the games. As an ambassador, I played my part.
And afterward, the governor appointed you as a Consultant?
Yes, the governor offered me the position of Consultant to him on Sports in the state. That came after the games. We have to activate that now. So, I am ready. I am preparing to see what he wants to do.
But you’re combining so many things, radio, television…?
Combining them, doing this, doing that. You have a good sports radio to run.
You don’t seem to slow down at all?
People are running it. I don’t know. I just do it. I can’t afford to be idle.
Where does the energy come from?
Life is so short. Me, I realize it. I know it. I don’t have any idle time. I can’t just sit and not do anything. See now, I am an outdoor person. Which is good. I don’t like sitting inside the house. So, I am outdoor. I am moving. I am travelling. I am doing stuff with my hands. I am writing.
So how do you juggle all these roles?
It’s true. I am juggling a lot of things. But I enjoy it. That’s the bottom line. I enjoy it. I wish I was making money from them. But those things are more than money. Those things are much more than money. So, I am not bothered.
I am not bothered. There is a lot of respect. There is a lot of integrity. Credibility, you know, attached to doing these things, and not for money.
It opens doors for you when people know that when you call, when you come, it is not because you are coming to demand or to ask or to seek a favour. But it is so that you can add some value to anything at all, either they are doing or you are doing, or you can do together. That helps a great deal.
So what would you say is your greatest wealth?
I’ve found that the greatest riches that I have are People, the people I know. The people that respect me. When I want to do anything, when I call on people, they respond. They respond. And that is respect. When I respect people, they respect me back.
The people you ask things from, often they do not want to pick your calls again. If they do it for you once, it is finished. So, I better not even ask. And then we just do things. And it has been wonderful.
I have access to everybody. That’s what I find, which is very humbling. I do not know of anybody that I would say, “Oh, I want to meet,” or “I want to do things with,” that would just turn me away. They would listen to me first. And if they see that I make some sense, they will work with me.
I do not try to abuse my relationships. I do not try to exhaust the goodwill I have with people. So, I just keep everything in moderation. So, I am able to juggle a lot of things.
Are you saying relationships are more valuable than money?
My friend Allen Onyema of Air Peace has given me a free ticket to fly anywhere I want to go to—free—for the rest of my life. What are you talking about? Can you quantify that in Naira and Kobo?
If I pick my phone now, I can call the Sultan of Sokoto. I can call the Emir of Kano. I can call Bishop Kukah. I can call the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN. I can call the head of the army. I can call the head of the police.
And when I call them, I will not ask for a frivolous thing. I will not say, “Oh, my brother is looking for a job, so please help me give them a job,” or something like that. Once you don’t do that, when you call them, you see them, you discuss issues that have to do with taking care of people, making life better for people, improving the situation of our country, and so on, that adds value to even what they are doing. They will listen to you.
So that’s my greatest resource? the ability to reach out to people. And they too need some of the things I have. I tell them about their work that I can see through the prism of sports. They listen to me, and they buy into it.
It’s rare to have that kind of balance?
I have a relationship with Nigerian Customs because of the Comptroller General of Customs. I have a relationship with the Nigerian military because of the Chief of Defence Staff. I have a relationship with this, I have a relationship with that. These are the people I know, my friends. Several governors, I have relationships with them.
I never call them to ask for anything. You see, I’m going to Enugu tomorrow. I have sent word that I’m coming to Enugu. They are looking for a place so that we can sit with the governor and share communion. We are not asking for anything from him. We are just going there. And he will gladly welcome us. And we’ll spend a good time.
I’ve sent word to Gov. Soludo in Anambra. I’m sure before the end of the day he will get back to me. If he has space or time, he will organize. We will see him too. Because I promised that when I come to Enugu, I will let him know.
So like that, we will go to see our friends in Cross River and Akwa Ibom. And I will tell the governors also. I’m just giving you an example of the sort of things that we do. And it’s just wonderful.
So I’m able to juggle these things because they’ve become my life. I enjoy doing them. I don’t like to be idle. And it is all very enriching for me. It just expands the level of my experiences, the breadth of my experiences. I discuss so many things through Sports.
Even beyond sports?
I feel very comfortable. Even Politics. I belong to a Sociocultural Organisation in Ogun State, we held a meeting the other day. And I was telling them why I don’t participate on their platform. We have a platform, and I like to write. I like to contribute. But on that platform, I don’t. I very rarely do.
And I explained to them, and they all understood, that until I can process our programs in that group through Sports, then I can have a contribution. I’m not an expert. I didn’t study anything. I didn’t study culture or tradition or politics or all of those things. So, until I can start to process it through sports… Of course, I will do that very soon.
You’re discussing sports in a different way…?
You see, we are discussing sports at a different level. We are discussing sports, but we’ve not mentioned sports. We’ve not mentioned JJ Okocha. We’ve not mentioned Falilat Ogunkoya. We’ve not mentioned the races that they run, the times and distances they cover, the goals scored. We’ve not discussed any of that. Yet, we are discussing sports.
