Former Nigerian international Segun Odegbami has paid glowing tribute to late football icon Stephen Keshi while expressing deep disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking at the 10th Stephen Keshi Memorial Lecture held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, Odegbami described the Super Eagles’ absence from the expanded World Cup as painful, humiliating and unacceptable for a nation with Nigeria’s football pedigree.
The event, themed “Celebrating Africa’s Football Legends for Tomorrow’s Aspirants,” honoured Keshi’s immense contribution to football while also providing a platform for reflection on the state of the game in Nigeria.
Odegbami did not hide his frustration over Nigeria missing out on a tournament featuring a record 10 African nations.
“It is agonising. It is a terrible situation, and we must not allow it to happen again,” Odegbami said.
“It is a shame that 10 countries from Africa are going to the World Cup and Nigeria is not one of them. We were in the easiest group to qualify from, yet we failed. It is painful, humiliating and a great disappointment for our country.”
The former Green Eagles star warned against allowing those responsible for the country’s recent football setbacks to continue occupying positions of authority without accountability.
“It would be the ultimate slap in the face if Nigerians allow those who have failed us to return and continue running the game while ignoring the victims of that failure,” he said.
“The situation is terrible. It is not rocket science. For eight years, a group of people has been in charge of football in this country, and everyone knows the enormous potential Nigeria possesses as a football nation.”
Odegbami argued that Nigeria’s football history remains unrivalled on the continent, citing decades of success, talent production and administrative excellence.
According to him, many football observers, including the late Brazilian legend Pelé, had long predicted that Nigeria would eventually become one of the world’s leading football nations.
“At one point, Nigeria’s football structures were stronger than those of several European countries,” he recalled.
“When South Africa emerged from apartheid in 1993 and sought guidance on football administration, they came to Nigeria to learn from people such as Patrick Okpomo. That was the level we had attained.”
He added that Nigeria should by now be competing among the elite football nations of the world, not struggling to secure qualification for major tournaments.
Despite his concerns over the current state of Nigerian football, Odegbami reserved his most passionate remarks for Keshi, whose legacy he described as one of the greatest in African football history.
“Stephen Keshi is a great Nigerian ambassador, an ambassador like no other,” he said.
“The citation read here today only scratches the surface of the impact he had, not just on Nigerian football but on African football as a whole. His influence extended to Black footballers across the world.”
Odegbami highlighted Keshi’s pioneering role in opening doors for African footballers in Europe, noting that the former Super Eagles captain often supported younger players while establishing himself abroad.
“Keshi played a crucial role in the migration of African footballers to Europe. He was not only influencing the process; he was also funding some players and leading by example,” he said.
“This was a man who travelled constantly between Europe and Africa to honour national team duties. He would play a match in Europe, fly to Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations, then return to Europe and do it all over again. His commitment was extraordinary.”
Widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest football figures, Keshi captained Nigeria to victory at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations before repeating the feat as head coach in 2013, becoming one of the few men to win the continental title both as a player and a manager.
For Odegbami, the annual memorial lecture serves as a reminder of the standards Keshi represented—leadership, sacrifice, excellence and an unwavering commitment to Nigerian football.
As tributes continued to pour in for the late football legend, Odegbami urged administrators, coaches and players to draw inspiration from Keshi’s example as Nigeria seeks to rebuild and reclaim its place among the continent’s leading football nations.
