Travelling anywhere within the country during the rainy season by air is forbidden. I offer reasons not to visit the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the rainforest areas, not forgetting the South-South zones, especially Port Harcourt and Warri. So, when last Sunday text messages appeared on my phone announcing the need for a trip to Abuja on Monday, August 22, I was reluctant in accepting the invitation to attend. The Secretary of the committee Olalekan Alabi pleaded that all members should attend except for those living outside the country, pointing out that we would be submitting the final report to President Muhamadu Buhari the next day at the seat of government in Aso Rock. It was an offer nobody would reject especially as this writer is apolitical.
I went back to the committee’s group chat on WhatsApp and was encouraged to make the trip by the fact that one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers, Olusegun Odegbami stated that he would love to be part of the trip to Abuja on our preferred airline (name withheld). Quietly I was praying that the trip is shifted due to pressing official engagements by the President. It never came. I was left with the option of informing my employers about the impromptu meeting in Abuja. I was granted the request to make the trip to the Federal Capital Territory on Monday morning.
I normally get to the airport at least three hours before the flight takes off to read my newspapers and greet some of my old friends who may be using the facilities as has always been the case. Behold Odegbami appeared at the airport and I beckoned at him to sit beside me. he did initially but politely told me he wanted to sit inside the lounge. For a celebrity of Odegbami’s stature, I understood his ‘fears’, especially in a soccer-crazy country like Nigeria.
Wao, how could I have forgotten that today, August 27 is Olusegun Odegbami’s 70th birthday? The legend of our time has attained the Biblical three scores and ten age line in good health although he limps slightly because of hurting knees caused by defenders he left sprawling on the grass as he waltzed past in majestic fashion. Odegbami was a prolific striker, a master dribbler and a scorer of goals with aplomb. ‘Big Sege’ as he is also known has no airs. He forgives easily although he recalls certain articles I have written up till Monday when he introduced one of his friends to me at the airport.
Odegbami and I boarded the aircraft and sat apart oblivious of what was ahead of us when the ‘big bird’ taxied on the runway for takeoff. I’m always alert to listen carefully to the pilot’s messages before takeoff to hear the weather reports. On this day, the pilot said among other things that: There would be slight turbulence as the big bird lifts itself off the ground. He informed everyone that the cloud movement was nothing to worry about. No sooner did the aircraft hit the skies to gain height did we start to experience the kind of turbulence ahead of us. It wasn’t a laughing matter considering the stoic silence inside the aircraft as we rocked and rolled to the rhythm of the ‘big bird’ as it pierced through the dark clouds in the sky en route to Abuja from Lagos.
The jerky trip through the skies can be akin to some of the stories we hear about hell being uncomfortable. Besides this writer was an elderly who read her Rosary asking Our Father who art in Heaven to guide us through this difficult path. Another elderly man about two seats away from where I sat also had his Muslim equivalent Tesbi offering prayers fervently. It was apparent that the pilots were meandering through the skies losing heights and struggling to climb back up for a smooth cruise. It never happened, but they were pretty masterful in handling the situations.
If we thought we had seen the worst of the cloudy weather from Lagos, we were jokers. A thin voice gripped with fear could only mutter ” we are just making our first descent into Abuja and stopped. Where I sat, I knew because the aircraft lost its height sharply. It wasn’t funny. I still regret not waiting to salute the pilots for their efforts. Would it shock anyone to read that the landing of the aircraft was the worst ever? The ‘big bird’ dropped its full on the rough tar on the runway. We all felt it but it was the fallout of the hell we had gone through in the sky.
The passengers in the capacity-filled aircraft had seen enough and their hands were still morbid as we flew through ‘hell.’ Perhaps regular flyers had seen worse and have taken what happened in their strides. Certainly not this writer. Did you ask to know what happened on our way back? Wait for it.
Would I be writing what hasn’t happened if I write that the flight back to Lagos was ”delayed due to operation reason, according to the airline owners?” Guess many of us are familiar with this aviation jargon. On the return trip, I sat at the window side unlike the aisle for the initial trip out of Lagos.
Homecoming wasn’t anything different except that the takeoff out of Abuja was smoother and we enjoyed about 10 minutes of normalcy until the return to the journey through ‘hell’. A new dimension was added when the aircraft hovered in the sky looking for an opening to make a descent into the airport. We eventually were saved from the trauma when the aircraft made its descent through R18 at the international airport tarmac.
Relief? Yes, life must go on. For this writer, it was an opportunity to seek 70-year-old Odegbami’s opinion about the return trip. Odegbami simply shrugged his shoulder, preferring not to discuss it. This writer has had the course to be close to Odegbami in the course of attending committee meetings and my perception of the dribbling wizard has changed. Unassuming but a deep thinker, Odegbami’s knowledge of virtually any discipline is awesome defying the fact that he is a civil engineer.
Conscious of his fame, he introduces himself cautiously as Segun forgetting that is a lead for those who watched him play the game which he made beautiful with his style of play, deft touches and commanding presence on the ball and the majestic manner in which he scores goals with aplomb. Most of them hug him immediately saying Segun Odegbami. Indeed, on one of our trips to Abuja, the owner of the airline spotted him sitting in the economy class, typical of Odegbami and insisted he must move to the business class. He humbly got up. Only then did many of the passengers know that there was a legend of our time inside the aircraft sitting like a commoner.
At meetings, he listens, though he may interject to point out errors or wrong interpretations of facts. Yet, when it was time for him to contribute to the conversation, his short sentences and worldview of the subjects accentuates the genius that he is. At close quarters with Odegbami, one could see that he is a voracious reader of any literature. What does Odegbami think of this writer? No harsh words but he is always quick to mention that one was one of those who thwarted his ambition of being the NFF President. He says to this writer’s face. But it doesn’t affect his disposition towards me – a fantastic gentleman.
What else do you want to know about him? Hmmm! Amebo. I don’t know much about Odegbami personal’s life. And I won’t discuss it. No being is perfect. Odegbami’s attributes are awesome. Who cares about his negatives? I care less.
The only individual Olympic medallist of Nigeria to date, ASP Chioma Ajunwa, is a product of Chief Segun Odegbami. Ajunwa was faced with difficulties here and there and with the intervention of the Mathematical as her manager, her life changed for the better. First, Odegbami got sponsorship to send Ajunwa to the UK for intensive training in preparation for the Atlanta Olympic Games. And he was also acting as the psychologist of sorts to mentally prepare the athlete for the challenge. At the global event, her 7.12 jump earned Nigeria a gold medal and a new national record which was only erased 25 years after by Ese Brume. Big Sege, ma soro ju. Enjoy your day to the fullest. Best wishes.
