On March 22, 1998, I was officially decorated with the honour and title of ‘Sports Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’ in Abuja by the then Minister of Sports. It was in addition to a previous national honour of...

The curtains will be drawn on the 2026 FIFA World Cup tomorrow.   The 104 football battles fought amongst 48 countries will come to a most befitting climax. The two teams at the finish line are amongst the 7 that have...

One of the great shocks in world football this past week is Italy’s failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup….for the third time in a row!! For Italy, it is a monumental DISASTER. The country’s Minister of Sports publicly...

I was one of many that did not like Chief Festus Onigbinde (that’s how he was referred to at the time) when I first encountered him half a Century ago, around 1976. He came in from the blue. He was...

So, in July of 1976, we went to China and returned, our narrow escape from the jaws of death, only a few minutes and some miles away from landing in the middle of the worst earthquake in the history of...

After hovering over the city of Peking (now Beijing) for a long time our plane finally landed almost at midnight. With stops in 4 cities since we departed Lagos on July 26, 1976, we had been airborne for a total...

Last week, Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt lost their home match in the ongoing 2025/2026 African Club Championship against The Pyramids FC of Morocco. Until that match, United were the last Nigerian football club still standing in this season’s...

I was not physically in Morocco for the 2025 edition of the African Cup of Nations football championship that ended a week ago. I followed the events from my humble observatory in the hills of Wasimi. It was generally, a...