Ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, Nigerian football legend Chief Segun Odegbami has expressed an unusual sense of detachment from the Super Eagles' campaign. In a candid reflection dated 20 December 2025, Odegbami revealed he is suffering from "Super Eagles fatigue" and has not made his usual efforts to follow the team to the tournament, despite his lifelong passion for the national side.
AFCON 2025: Apathy Amid High Expectations
Odegbami confirmed that his team at Eagle7Sports Radio 103.7fm in Abeokuta would provide coverage, but he has chosen to remain in his village of Wasimi to watch the championship with chilled palm wine, free from his typical fiery expectations. He maintains that the Eagles, with their established tradition of reaching at least the semi-finals, will perform well and remain a threat to any opponent.
However, he pointed out a significant national mood shift. The excruciating pain of failing to qualify for the World Cup from an easy group still lingers for Nigerians. According to Odegbami, only winning the AFCON 2025 trophy will ease this pain; even reaching the final may not be enough, and anything less could have dire consequences for the nation's football administration.
Inside The Nest of Champions: A Costly Edifice
In the same narrative, Odegbami detailed his first-ever visit to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the Super Eagles' designated home ground. He was guided by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul 'Sports' Bassey.
He described the 35,000-capacity all-seater stadium as beautiful and imposing from a distance, resembling a giant eagle's nest. Upon closer inspection, he found its architecture simple and functional. Notably, he observed it is a single-sport (football) stadium with no significant recreational, social, or commercial facilities around it. The athletics track appeared decorative and poorly maintained due to lack of use.
Julius Berger PLC holds a 10-year maintenance contract for the facility, which comes at a colossal cost. Odegbami highlighted the immense financial burden on the Akwa Ibom State government, as the stadium sits idle for most of the year, generating no income to offset its upkeep, which is estimated at a staggering N1.5 billion annually.
The Imported Pitch and A Lesson From History
A key focus was the pitch, which features lush green grass imported from Germany, maintained by a full retinue of groundsmen and an electronic watering system. Odegbami, an experienced exponent of grass fields, criticized this approach.
He nostalgically recalled the excellent locally-sourced Bahama Grass pitches at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, and the Township Stadium, Calabar in the past. Those pitches, he argued, were as good as any world-class surface 40 years ago and did not require breaking the treasury to import or maintain foreign grass. He subtly blamed a local contractor, still active, for the destruction of those historic grounds in 1995.
Odegbami left Uyo with mixed feelings, concluding that even the surface of the 'Nest of Champions' is not the best, a fact only discernible to those with a trained eye.
A Soprano's Celebration in Lagos
Shifting focus, Odegbami also highlighted an upcoming cultural event. He mentioned Abiodun Koya, a classical soprano singer based in the USA who has performed at major global events like the American Super Bowl. She is in Nigeria to perform on Monday, December 22, at the NIIA/Airpeace Wall of Fame on Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event will celebrate her 45th birthday and 25 years in the music business with Christmas carols and classical music, blended with Afro-beat influences.
