A member of the glorious IICC Shooting Stars football club of Ibadan that won Nigeria’s first continental title, African Cup of Winners in 1976, Chief Segun Odegbami has enjoined Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state to immortalize Late Muda Lawal and other sports heroes.
Late Muda Lawal was also a member of the history making IICC Shooting Stars set of 1976, alongside Odegbami and Late Best Ogedegbe.
The trio were also members of Nigeria’s historic senior male football team, then called the Green Eagles, that won the nation’s first AFCON trophy in 1980.
Featuring on the BCOS TV sports programme, SBS Show, Chief Odegbami noted with regrets that Late Muda Lawal and other Nigerian heroes were not properly immortalized.
“Nigerians have many heroes not only in sports but also in various fields of life. However we don’t appreciate our heroes. It’s saddening that there’s nothing on ground in Ibadan where Muda Lawal lived, served and died, to show his contributions to the development of sports in the city”, the retired footballer known in his hey days as Mathematical Segun Odegbami said.
He, however advised Governor Makinde to blaze the trail for other governors by putting structures in place to honour and preserve the memories of Late Muda Lawal and other Nigerian heroes.
Odegbami continued, “I enjoin the handsome governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde to do what other governors have not done by putting structures on ground in honour of Muda Lawal and other heroes”.
The living soccer legend, fondly called Big Seg, further advised that legacies and families of the departed sports heroes should be taken care of and not allowed to suffer.
Chief Segun Odegbami was speaking in remembrance of Nigeria’s midfield maestro Late Muda Lawal who died 29 years ago in Ibadan.
Late Muda Lawal was a player/coach of IICC Shooting Stars (now 3SC), alongside another legend of the club Dr Felix Owolabi Akinloye, when he died on the 6th of July 1991 at the age of 37.
