Dateline: Sat 11th July 2009. The Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Centre in Kensington, south-west London.

The invite had put it succinctly: “An evening with Segun Odegbami.” One of Africa’s all-time great footballers and former skipper of Nigeria’s (then) Green Eagles, Segun Odegbami had intended to get folks together to highlight the progress made at his school. The International (Sports) Academy (TIA) is a Senior Secondary School of Excellence for boys and girls with exceptional talent in sports and the arts. Located in Wasimi Orile Ogun State, south-western Nigeria, it was set up to promote the best of academics and sports.

TIA is like the proverbial prodigious child sitting in the revered council of elders. Just six years after the idea was first conceived, the academy has this year been named as one of the Beyond Sports Awards Shortlisted Projects. It therefore took its pride of place among 35 such projects selected worldwide and invited to the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards held July 7 to 9 in London. TIA was shortlisted in the Best Project for Social Inclusion category. Beyond Sport is an international organisation that seeks to celebrate and support any individual or group, from the grassroots to the global, with the goal to drive positive change through sport.

The organisation boasts of high profile political figures, sporting heroes and social entrepreneurs among its Ambassadors. These include its chairman and former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Tony Blair; Michael Johnson (Olympic gold medallist); Nawal El Moutawakel (Minister of Youth and Sports, Morocco); Lord Sebastian Cole (Chairman London 2012); HRH Prince Faisal Al Hussein of Jordan; Donna de Varona (Olympic gold medallist and USA swimmer); Lucas Radebe (South African most-capped footballer and FIFA Ambassador) and Luke Dowdney (Founder and Director, Fight for Peace).

Others are Sergey Bubka (Olympic gold medallist); Jahangir Khan; Michelle Ford (Olympic gold medallist and Australian swimmer); Timothy Shriver PhD; Matthew Spacie (Founder/CEO Magic Bus); Dame Kelly Holmes (Olympic gold medallist); Simon Fuller, Senator Bill Bradley, Ron Pundak and Adolf Ogi.

After the Summit, Segun Odegbami brought the message closer home to his folks in an evening geared towards garnering support from friends and well-wishers as to the lofty dream of engaging the twin-factors of sport and education as a social development tool.

Highlights of the evening held in the Conservatory of the Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Centre included a presentation from the Lagos State government. Entitled ‘Lagos, the Mega City: The Past, the present and the vision’, it was delivered by Dr. Dolapo Badru who is Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Youth, Sports and Social Development. Badru’s brilliant showcase of Lagos State’s progressive journey and a peek into the future under the Raji Fashola administration deserves a fitting applause. First City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB) which should pride itself as the first corporate body to partner TIA also had a brief recorded presentation while DVD copies of the beamed promo were also included in the welcome pack offered to guests. FCMB in pursuit of its social responsibility agenda has selected TIA as an implementing partner to use sport and education as a tool for achieving economic empowerment for the youths of Nigeria.

The evening was made more glittering with the impressive turnout of guests. The luminous display of solidarity by the Odegbami clan is also worthy of note - May7ven (Yemisi) the sultry and talented singer entertained, her sister Funmi was main compere and their mum, Jumoke said the opening prayers. Fast-rising May7ven gave an astounding performance such as has endeared her to fans in the UK and worldwide.

This occasion takes a detour from the usual cap-in-hand fundraiser-appeal where event organisers contort all manners of devious ingenuity to appeal to the people’s sense of giving. Odegbami is no doubt aware of the daunting nature of his task to establish a legacy that is truly lasting. But as a can-do man, he is keen on sending out a clarion call to social responsibility to other Nigerians. And this coming from a well-meaning friend, patriot and role model needs be taken with seriousness.

As they say, only the deep can call to the deep. It most certainly takes a man of Odegbami’s persona to make this kind of wake-up call. A mechanical engineer by training, yet he was a fantastic footballer who served his country with temerity and delighted fans and spectators around the world with the beautiful game. His domain is Nigeria, but the world is his constituency.

Of TIA and his vision, Odegbami said: “Sport is a passion of the youths. All the boys and girls in (especially) the developing world see sports as a shortcut to success. It has become such a huge industry and television has brought everything home to the people. Youths now abandon their education in pursuit of success in sports. But the reality is that only few of them can go on to succeed in sport with the result that a larger majority invariably become a burden to the society. There is therefore the need for us to provide them with their passion (which is sport) in an environment which will provide their needs (which is education). They need to be educated.”

Now that he has sounded the gong, one can only hope that truly well-meaning Nigerians will rally round ‘Big Seg’ and march into the future together, if only for sake of the upcoming generations. The International (Sports) Academy certainly leads the way into the future and deserves all the support and encouragement that we can muster.

Who’s who on the special guest list

1. Dr Dolapo Badru (Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Youth, Sports and Social Development) - represented the Governor of Lagos State.

2. Alan Aroyewun (journalist, ‘Alankoh of Lagos Weekend’)

3. Mr & Mrs. Makinde (CEO Passion TV)

4. Amos Adejinmi (Passion TV Host)

5. Dr Ayodele Owoade (Chairman AC-UK)

6. Nike Sonuga

7. Tunde & Buki Fagbenle

8. Mr Peter Badejo, OBE

9. Olenka Pierozynska

10. Kayode Akintemi (Mr Kay of Voice of Africa Radio 94.3FM)

11. Mr & Mrs Wole Bright

12. Kunle Awosusi

13. Kayode Nathan

14. Dayo Olomu (indomitable Motivational Speaker and MC)

15. Tunde Adeleye

16. Bernard and Helen Imarhiagbe (Champions For Nigeria)

17. Kola Afolabi (Businessman and Champions For Nigeria member from France)

18. Modupe Debbie Ariyo (Founder of AFRUCA - Africans Unite Against Child Abuse)

19. Lekan Fatodu and the Crew of Checkout Magazine

20. Hakeem Adeoye (From US)

21. Elsie Ofulue (First City Monument Bank – UK) and Husband, Anthony Ofulue

22. Babatunde Bank-Anthony (Executive Secretary, Lagos State Endowment Fund)

23. Affiong L Affiong, Secretary General of Moyo Wa Taifa, (African Women Solidarity Network based in Ghana & UK)

24. Dr. Gbola Olalere

25. Mrs Ajoke Moses

26. May7ven, aka Yemisi Odegbami (1^st daughter of Segun Odegbami)

27. Funmi Odegbami

28. Ms. Jumoke Tejumola

29. Segun Odegbami Jnr

30. Akinlolu Adejumo

31. Dupe Pennant

32. Akintokunbo Adejumo (Coordinator of the Event) and wife, Toyin

33. Yomi Oladele

34. BEN TV Crew

35. Pius Bayode

36. And 114 others

written by Segun Fajemisin