Nigerian football legend Kadiri Ikhana, a member of the 1980 African Cup of Nations-winning team and one of the most successful coaches in domestic football history, is fighting for his life in Auchi, Edo State.
Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, a fellow sports icon, has made a passionate appeal for help, citing Ikhana’s critical condition and the dire need for support.
“I wish I do not have to do this…again. But I have to, because it is frustrating,” Odegbami said, expressing his desperation. “It is absolutely clear to me that most of us, retired international Nigerian athletes, need help. We are suffering, living in pain, poverty, and poor health.”
He revealed that five former Nigerian sports heroes have died in the past four months, mostly at relatively young ages, and speculated that these deaths might be linked to the physical toll of their sports careers.
Ikhana was referred to the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital for intensive investigation and blood transfusion after his condition worsened. Hon. Austin Braimoh, a kind-hearted individual and former Chairman of the South-South Police Service Commission, has been shouldering Ikhana’s mounting medical bills. When Odegbami spoke with Ikhana, the football legend, in a muffled voice, begged Nigerians to pray for him.
Odegbami is appealing to the Edo State Government, the National Sports Commission, the Nigeria Football Federation, and kind-hearted Nigerians to intervene and support Ikhana. “Please, let’s help him in any way we can. I do not know what else to say, or do,” Odegbami pleaded, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has lost two prominent figures: former President Muhammadu Buhari and the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who both passed away on July 13.
Odegbami prayed for their souls to rest in peace, acknowledging the somber timing of his appeal.
