Segun Odegbami: Change Is Finally Coming to Nigerian Sports

A “genuine sports revolution” may finally be taking shape in Nigeria, according to Segun Odegbami, who sees a fresh spirit across the sector and early signs of a broader national renewal from 2027.

He attributes the shift first to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who directed that sports reforms be carried out and backed the directive with funding. Odegbami says that level of presidential interest has not been seen since the era of the late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, and argues that the president’s commitment is clear.

The columnist also praises the National Sports Commission for its handling of Nigeria’s football crisis. He says its leaders managed the disbandment of the Nigeria Football Federation board without an outcry or a new crisis, then led a delegation to FIFA headquarters. Odegbami hopes the commission now has room to implement the necessary reforms without involving the NFF Congress.

He argues that the old system should be dismantled and replaced by a body of credible, neutral and knowledgeable people capable of developing Nigerian football in the country’s interest. His hope is that the commission will take the next step and create new structures for the sport.

Odegbami also points to an initiative by AirPeace chairman Allen Onyema. Onyema approved a plan to revive the files of Nigeria’s 1996 Olympic gold medalists and inscribe their names on the NIIA Sports Diplomacy Wall of Fame at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in Lagos. The ceremony is scheduled for October or November 2026, a year that marks the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s role in the 1976 Olympic boycott and the 30th anniversary of the Atlanta Games triumph. Stephen Okechukwu Keshi and Tobi Amusan are also due to be honored.