Nigerian football icon, Olusegun Odegbami, has declared the dawn of 2026 as a moment of profound excitement and spiritual rebirth, unveiling a series of ambitious resolutions aimed at sparking a comprehensive sports revolution in the country.
A New Dawn for the Super Eagles and Nigerian Football
Odegbami places the Super Eagles at the very heart of his vision for 2026. He describes the national team as the life-line of sports development and the biggest sports brand in Nigeria, whose performance directly impacts the entire sporting ecosystem and national morale. The immediate focus is on the ongoing AFCON 2025 in Morocco, where the Eagles' winning streak has begun to rekindle public interest, temporarily easing the pain of missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He notes with optimism the emergence of new players during a match against Uganda, a display that hinted at a return to Nigeria's rich footballing traditions. Odegbami's first resolution is to reconnect with this spirit of reformation, anticipating a national team revival characterized by showmanship, flair, supreme confidence, and an indomitable will to win.
Legislative Change and Athlete Welfare: A Two-Pronged Approach
Odegbami identifies a critical roadblock to genuine sports development: the exclusion of key stakeholders from sports administration. He argues that the solution requires legislative backing and proper governance structures. His call to action is clear: more sports persons must find their way into legislative houses at state and national levels to champion the necessary changes from within the system.
Equally urgent is the plight of retired athletes. Recalling the tragic deaths of nearly a dozen former internationals in 2025 under avoidable conditions, Odegbami stresses that decades of government inaction must end. His resolution for 2026 is the establishment of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to providing education, guidance, training, investment, and rehabilitation for ex-athletes, aiming to address this systemic failure once and for all.
Returning to the Roots: SOCA and the Shell Cup Revival
The cornerstone of Odegbami's grassroots strategy involves two major projects. The first is the Segun Odegbami International College and Sports Academy (SOCA). After 21 years since its foundation and 18 years of operation, SOCA is poised in 2026 to finally achieve its ultimate objective of nurturing young talent with global-standard programs that combine sports with life-sustaining education.
The second, and potentially most impactful resolution, is the revival of the NNPC/Shell Cup. This nationwide secondary school football championship, which involved 3,000 schools and 60,000 registered student players over a three-month period, is hailed as the most successful grassroots sports development program in Nigeria's history. Despite past issues with age-cheats, it was a proven talent pipeline, once supplying 11 players to the national U-17 camp in a single year. Odegbami also plans to resurrect the Ghana/Nigeria Academicals series, an annual home-and-away friendly derived from the championship.
For Odegbami, 2026 represents more than a new year; it is the starting point for a meticulously planned journey to restore Nigerian sports to its former glory and build a sustainable future for its athletes.
