Odegbami Urges Nigeria to Turn Sports into an Economic Driver

Former Super Eagles captain Segun Odegbami has urged Nigeria’s Federal Government to use sports as a major contributor to the country’s Orange Economy, Channels Television reports. Odegbami made the appeal while delivering a lecture titled “The Role of Sports as an Enabler of the Orange Economy” to participants in Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State. The course focuses on using Nigeria’s creative potential, talent and entrepreneurship for sustainable development.

He said sports should be understood as an economic system rather than only as football and competition. In his view, the sector includes ticketing, branding, insurance, facilities, sportswear, player branding and other goods and services. He described it as an underused area with the capacity to create jobs, generate wealth and support economic growth.

Odegbami called for stronger structures and deliberate development of the sector. He said Nigeria needed the capacity and confidence to participate more effectively in the global economy. He also argued that sports could promote national unity and integration.

The former football captain said infrastructure should be planned for continued use after major competitions. He cited Kenya, Ethiopia and some Scandinavian countries as examples of places where sport and physical activity are considered in infrastructure planning, including road design. Nigerian stadia, he said, should remain productive rather than becoming underused after events.

Odegbami also referred to his work developing sporting talent through an academy and called for more opportunities for female athletes. He encouraged young Nigerians to remain physically active, saying he still jogs at 74. He urged the country to replace aspirations with practical structures and sustained commitment.