ODEGBAMI Olusegun Patrick

MON; sports consultant; b: August 27, 1952; p: Lagos; m: Jumoke Tejumola, 1978; nc: two s, two d; ed: St. Theresa's Boys School, Jos, 1958-65; St. Murumba's College, Jos, 1966-70; The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, 1971-76. cr: Player, Housing Corporation Football Club, Ibadan, 1972-73; Assistant Technical Officer, Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service and Western Nigeria Television, Ibadan, 1972-73; Player, Western Rovers Football Club, 1973; Player, Shooting Stars Football Club, 1974-84; National Team, Green Eagles, 1976-82; Project Engineer, Edson Group and Partners, Lagos, 1978-79; presently, ceo. Worldwide Sports Limited, Lagos, Worldwide Television; dir. Worldwide Tours and Travels Limited, Lagos, Complete Communications Limited; former mm: Professional Football Implementation Committee, Player's Committee, Confederation of African Football CAF, former mm: Nigeria Football Association Board; former mm: Local Organising Committee, African Youth Championship Committee, Africa '95; first v-presd. Nigerian Olympians Association; first vpresd. International Footballers Association of Nigeria; Consultant, SPDC on Shell Cup for All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship; appointed ch. Nigeria's Campaign for 2010 World Cup, October 2002; mm: Technical and Accreditation Sub-Committee, Nigeria '99.ch. National Institute of Sports; Head, Management Committee, NFA, December 2004; tt: Enyi Oha 1 of Ahiazu Mbaise, 1996. nh: Member Order of the Niger, 1981; h: Best Football IFA League, 1974; Winners Medal, Africa Cup Winners Cup, 1976; Third Best African Player, 1977; Second Best African Player, 1977; Winners Medal, ECOWAS Cup, 1978; Silver Medal, Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana, 1978; Silver Medal, All African Games, Algeria; Gold Medal, Africa Cup ofNations, Nigeria, 1980; Confederation ofAfrican Football Award, 1989. publ: Nigerian Football, 1960-90, Worldwide Sports, Lagos, 1992; Goal Bound, Worldwide Sports Limited, Lagos, 1994, Issues in Nigerian Football, Worldwide Sports Ltd 1999. sc: Sportshaq hob: reading, tennis.travelling, sports, off: Worldwide Sports Ltd, 2, Oweh Street, Jibowu Yaba, Lagos P.O. Box 7620, Somolu, Yaba, Lagos. tel: 01-865710; res: House 24. M Close, 7 Avenue, Festac, Lagos, tel: 5892029. Mr Mathematical (Funmilola Iyanda & Godwin Dtidti Oriune). He did not set out to be a football player. As the best art student in his class, he decided to do something outstanding for his final examinations, something to blow the mind of the examiners. He decided to paint a night scene instead of the picture he had practised for the exam. He never had enough time to complete the picture, all he had was a plethora of darkness on his palette, but blow the mind of his examiners he did by going from an A+ art student to near zero marks. Although he finished secondary school with distinctions in all other subjects, he never got over his art failure and never painted or drew again except for close family members and friends. He re mains, however, an artist in his soul with a mind that is a gold mine of ideas. At forty-six years, he is arguably Nigeria's most decorated foot haller. He is a journalist and manager of sports. He has written memorable columns on sports and on other general issues for a number of major newspapers in Nigeria since his playing days in the '70s. He was the deputy editor-in-chief of Complete Foot huU and Sports Souvenir. He is a director of Complete Communication and was publisher of the Sports Digest. He pioneered sports television programming: his was one of the first sports marketing outfits in Nigeria. He has managed clubs including the mercurial Shooting Stars of Ibadan and athletes such as Chioma Ajunwa. Charity Opara and Innocent Asonze. He was team manager of the Super Eagles in the heady days of the early 90s and served as a board member of the NI;A. He is in the vanguard of today's renaissance of football development among the youth. Chief Olusegun Patrick Odegbami. MON. variously called 'Big Sheg', 'Mr. Mathematical' represents one of Nigeria's most accomplished sports personalities. Born in the heart of Lagos, he was raised in the temperate city of Jos where he attended St Theresa's Boys School, a primary school renowned for its foot ball team. Alloy Atuegbu who was to be his team mate in the Green Ivagles, also attended the same school. St Theresa's also produced other great foolball talents like Ismaila Mabo, Andrew and Matthew Atuegbu and Godwin Ogbueze. His secondary school, St Murumba College in Jos, also produced a number of professional football players, such as Saliu Tijani, a great striker and Yakubu Mohammed of NTA who was Odegbami's captain between 1966 and 1970. the civil war years. Patrick Odegbami is irritatingly patient. Perhaps it was his nature or the fact that he lived his formative years in Jos, far from the angstand viciousness of the civil war which was raging in the lower part of the Niger. He simply walks away from fights, es pecially needless ones: his gentle nature was often taken for weakness. His father was once quoted as saying that if there was ever anyone more patient and easy-going than his son, such a person should be arrested, for it is an offence. All the calmness, however, beliesa highlyintelligentand creative man. To be in the limelight was never his ambition, which is ironic ifone considers that some ofhis best moments were spent in front of crowds of football fans, where hisskills ignited them to ecstasy. Segun spent so many years under the klieg lights of public scrutiny that it is a wonder he was not scorched. At age seventeen, Segun left his home in Jos to join his cousin Tunji Odegbami, (present day chair man of JKK computers) in the University of Ibadan to study computer science. His new environment may have intimidated him initially, but on bumping into an old friend from Jos studying at the Ibadan Polytechnic, he decided to abandon UI and join his friend at the Polytechnic to study mechanical engineering. Perhaps due to the abundance of great football talents in his schools in Jos. Segun never thought himself as an exceptional player, even though he made the school team. It was. therefore, with skepticism that he followed one ofhis new friends Tunji Bolu (now an architect in Ibadan) for a train ing session with NTC in Ibadan. He got the shock of his life when he was paid just for coming to train: he was there the following day to 'train' in order to supplement his lean student purse. Thus, began an in credible football career, from NTC to Housing Corporation to Shooting Stars, a new star was born from an innocent desire of a seventeen-year-old to earn extra pocket money. Segun was sheer magic to watch on the right wing.. His performance was like opium to his fans, enchanting the spectators who saw him perform. Ile had the speed ofa 100 meters champion. He played with both feet and scored with his head effectively. The precision and intelligence of his goals were spell binding. Such was his talent that he could single handedly won a match for his team and winning he did on many occasions. Even now, at forty odd years and with a weak knee which put paid o his career,Segun still scores at every match he plays,often with men ten to fifteen years younger than him. Interestingly he began his career as an inside forward, butthe vision ofCoach Tiko, a foreignhan dler ofthe national team switched him to the right wing where he found hisrhythm and the magic that earnedhim the respect and the lasting sobriquet of •Mathematical Segun Odegbami'. That magic saw many a coach and administrator hanging their jobs on his ability to win a match. Originally from Abeokuta, born in Lagos, raised in Jos and exploding into national and international limelight from Ibadan, where he is until today re vered,cherishedand adored. No wonder he speaks Hausa and Yoruba fluently, understands Igbo and speaks it fairly well. He may not possess the hurricane of the other Egba 'Sege' (President Obasanjo), but his vision, will and resolve have served him well. Otherwise, how do you account for this honour's list? Football Career Achievements 1976 Winner - Africa Cup Winners Cup 1978 Bronze - Africa Cup ofNations, Ghana 1978 Silver - All Africa Games, Algeria (Highest goal scorer) 1978 Gold - Ecowas Games, Nigeria (Highest goal scorer) 1979 Gold - Africa Cup ofNations (Highest goal scorer) Personal Football Awards 1974 Oyo State Footballer ofthe Year 1978 3rd Best Footballer in Africa 1979 2nd best Footballer in Africa 1980 82 National Team Captain. National and International Honours CAF Award, 16 best African players in 30 years (1992), MasterCard/FIFA Award, Member Africa's Best Team of the Century (1998), Sports Ambassador, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) What more can one say of this gentleman? He was one of the greatest sports personalities of our time. One can only wonder what kind of impact he could have had in global football had he been born just a decade later. When his colleagues and contemporaries stay back waiting for society to come to their aid at all cost, Segun continues to break new grounds. He tries to shore up respect for pa$t footballers. He has also demonstrated that an a abiding interesting sports is the quintessential ingredient a manager requires to run any sporting activity. His complete rehabilitation of Chioma Ajunwa against all odds, gave Nigeria her first and only individual gold medal at the Olympics. Although he was not a track and field man, his ingenuity and intuition paid off to the country's glory. When he sought to bring his talent, experience and know-how to his own game, a cabal worked to lock him out. This is no surprise in a country bereft of heroes. His own acclaim remains in the fact that he is detribalized, intelligent, hard working and means well for all. Those who have had the privilege of associating with him in private, that-is, beyond the football pitch,beyond the board rooms with all their political intrigues, and beyond the TV screen with its unyielding eye, can safely say that here is indeed one of the most gentle human beings Nigeria ever produced. Segun Odegbami could have been a great lawyer, computers scientist, an artist, a poet, philosophy professor(a course he would still like to pursue) but fate chose to make him a great footballer. Somehow one gets the feeling that fate still has a few tricks up its sleeve for the 'Mathematical' Segun Odegbami. Source Publication: People in The News (1900 - 1999)