By Dayo Awoniyi
As part of preparations for the 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF), Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has appointed Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami as the Grand Sports Ambassador of the state.
The announcement was made during a media briefing with sports editors from major news outlets on Tuesday.
Alongside Odegbami, sprint queen Tobi Amusan and world boxing champion Anthony Joshua were also named as sports ambassadors.
Governor Abiodun said the appointments reflect the state’s commitment to leveraging the momentum of the upcoming festival to boost its sports economy.
“Permit me to use this opportunity to perform this ceremony of unveiling Chief Segun Odegbami as our Grand Sports Ambassador,” the governor said.
“The National Sports Festival will come and go, but we’re already thinking of leveraging the gains from hosting the NSF.”
Abiodun revealed that Odegbami’s role will extend beyond the duration of the festival and include shaping Ogun State’s long-term sports development initiatives.
“He has already given us a template modeled after the Amsterdam Arena, which we intend to replicate at the MKO Abiola Stadium,” the governor added.
The 22nd National Sports Festival, Nigeria’s biggest multi-sport event, is scheduled to take place later this year with Ogun State as host.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
