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•Reveals how Otto Gloria’s strategies inspired them to lift trophy in 1980
By Emma Njoku
Ex-international and former Green Eagles captain, Segun Odegbami, has revealed how he and his late bosom friend and national teammate, Christian “Chairman” Chukwu, drank beer while in camp, on the eve of the final match of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations.
Odegbami also narrated how he and the late boxing legend, Obisia Nwankpa, had a clash of interest over a beautiful girl whom both of them “wanted so badly”. He also narrated how he and the late Charles Bassey, another ex-international, broke camp rules, in faraway Brazil, to explore the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro in the night, just to ease boredom.
He made the revelations at the “Night of Tributes” held in honour of five Nigerian sports heroes who passed on recently, including Chukwu, who captained the team that won Nigeria’s first Nations Cup trophy, and two other members of that squad, Charles Bassey and Moses Effiong. The other two heroes who were honoured on the night were Peter “Dodomaya” Rufai, who was the first choice goalkeeper of the Super Eagles squad that lifted the Nations Cup trophy for the second time for Nigeria, in 1994, in Algeria, and former Africa and Commonwealth boxing champion, Obisia Nwankpa.
Chukwu and Bassey died on the same day on April 12, 2025 at the age of 74, while Moses Effiong died earlier this year, precisely on January 26, 2025 in the United States, at the age of 65. Rufai passed on July 3, 2025, at the age of 63, while Obisia Nwankpa had died a month earlier, exactly on June 3, 2025, at the age of 75 years.
Although Odegbami recalled how his part and those of the five fallen heroes crossed during their active days in sports, he made startling revelations about each of them, some of which drew laughter from the audience, thus creating humour at a natural solemn event.
“Our greatest moments as footballers or sportsmen were not those moments when we scored great goals, not those moments when we did those things which you people describe in all those lavish terms,” Odegbami began.
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“You see this gentleman here (pointing at the photograph of Peter Rufai), he’s the youngest (of all the heroes being honoured tonight). Dodo Mayana! I would like to share with you how he got into the national team,” he went on.
“It was during a match between IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Stationery Stores of Lagos at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. It was a Cup final and if Stationery Stores had won, they would have qualified to represent Nigeria at the continent. We, Shooting Stars, had already qualified to play in the continent before the match. So that match was crucial for them. Unfortunately for them, Felix Owolabi was in front for Shooting Stars, I was in front, and Mudashiru Lawal was also on that pitch for Shooting Stars; so how were they going to do it? How were they going to stop us? Anyway, towards the end of the match Muda Lawal took the ball from our own half, dribbled his way into their vital area and delivered a cross and the ball found me inside the six-yard box and I simply tapped it, and this man (Rufai) sprawled on the floor and the ball went inside the net for the only goal of the match. That was how we won the match. But Rufai’s heroics in that match did not go unnoticed. I was very influential in the Green Eagles then (now Super Eagles) and Coach Otto Gloria used to listen to me, so I asked him to invite him (Rufai) to the national team. That was how he joined the national team.
On Obisia Nwankpa, he said: “Only one person would know my story. In 1976, I was young and Obisia was a young, fine guy. We were going to the Montreal Olympics in Canada. We were in Paris and there was this beautiful girl; you know I like beautiful girls but Obisia’s case was worse (…applause). The lady was a student at UNILAG (University of Lagos) and her name was Yemi. I wanted the girls so badly, and Obisia wanted the girl so badly. Obisia was already a big boxing star at the time while I was just starting my football career. Anyway, I’ll end the story here (…another round of applause). That was how Obisia and I became very good friends. This was 49 years ago. So I knew Peter Rufai 44 years ago and Obisia 49 years ago.
On Charles Bassey, Odegbami said: “During Christmas in 1979, we were in Brazil preparing for the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations. We were in a Military Camp and they said we must remain there throughout the Christmas and New Year. So we were left to create our own fun. One night, Charles Bassey and I decided that we were going to explore Rio de Janeiro. That was the first time I had come very close with Charles Bassey. We didn’t know the city well. We just entered the city and went to a Night Club and we really had fun. So that was how Bassey and I became best friends”.
On Moses Effiong, he said: “I really didn’t know this guy. I only knew him because we were in the Green Eagles camp together. But I never had a close interaction with him because he was the type who didn’t like to mix up. Honestly, I’m not surprised at the way he passed on because that’s how he had been all his life. We never went out together. When we left the national team about the same time, I never saw him again until July 28 two years ago (2023). That was the first time I would see him in 46 years. He was not the outgoing type; he never mixed up with people. All the time we were in camp, he never went out with anybody. That’s Effiong! That was his life and his own way. God will grant his soul peaceful rest”.
“And this man (points to Christian Chukwu’s picture). I call him Oyim (my friend in Igbo) and he used to call me Oyim, too. Truly, we were the best of friends. He came to the national team from the Academicals and I came from a senior team, IICC Shooting Stars, and we met there for the first time. And we remained best of friends until he passed on.
“While we were in the national team we drank beer on the eve of the 1980 Nations Cup final. That night, we were in camp and Christian Chukwu and I were busy strategising about the match the following day. We couldn’t sleep and we decided to go and drink beer that night. I think I was the one that suggested to him, ‘Old boy, make we go take one-one’ (laughter from the audience). I said onye-egwu, oya! So we went out to drink. We got a bottle of beer and a glass cup each. As we were toasting with our glasses before we drank, Otto Gloria’s assistant coach saw us. Christian was so rested in the team that no one would believe that he drank beer like some of us who were well known for drinking beer. So we drank a glass each. The assistant coach saw us and he didn’t say a word. We left and were going back to our room when we saw Coach Otto Gloria in his room, very busy. He bent over some papers and we were wondering what he was doing. So we went to him and asked what he was doing. And he showed us this chart and we saw our names with arrows everywhere but couldn’t understand anything. He said he was playing the final match before the game the next day. He showed us the movements, how our opponents would play, how we would play, what he wanted Christian and I to do on the pitch, and so on.
“After listening to Otto Gloria, we went to our room and we slept. We couldn’t sleep earlier that night, but Otto Gloria gave us supreme confidence, and we played that match the following day, and we won the trophy. Christian and I were best friends. He was the captain of the team while I was his vice. But I was doing more of the talking because he was not the talking type. I miss him so much, but that’s life. I don’t know what to say, but God said I have a role to play in all of this.
“So I’m playing my role, and you people are making it possible for me to play my role. And Allen Onyema! You this man (points to the Chairman/CEO of Air Peace Airline, who sponsored the event). I don’t know what to tell you, but you know how I feel about you. So, I thank you all for coming. And I hope to see you some other time when we’ll be celebrating. And for all the bereaved families thank you for coming. Your coming is not in vain”.
