In an emotional appeal, former Green Eagles winger Chief Segun Odegbami has once again highlighted the dire health situation of Peter Fregene, Nigeria’s former number one goalkeeper. Odegbami shared a distressing image of Fregene lying in a hospital bed at the Obule Medical Centre in Sapele, Delta State, painting a stark contrast to the vibrant athlete he once was.
Fregene, a 1968 Olympian, proudly donned the national colors and served as goalkeeper for Nigeria’s national team over three decades, spanning the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Odegbami, affectionately known as “Mathematical,” expressed his frustration at having to share Fregene’s “horror” picture, wishing he had the means to support his fellow athlete without relying on public appeals to a limited pool of benefactors who have helped former football stars in distress over the years.
“Many of Nigeria’s philanthropists have stepped up to the plate for our ex-internationals in the past,” he noted. “But by now, we’ve likely exhausted any remaining goodwill with individuals like Femi Otedola, Mike Adenuga, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Babatunde Fashola, Benson Ejindu, Allen Onyema, and a few others. Even if they haven’t voiced their frustrations, we feel it’s disheartening to approach them again,” he shared thoughtfully.
Odegbami raised a critical question about the absence of a welfare program for former athletes in Nigeria, 64 years post-independence. “Why is it so difficult to establish a simple welfare scheme for both active and retired athletes across all sports? This should help address declining health issues as they age, long after their sports careers have ended.”
He emphasized that creating such a system doesn’t require advanced expertise—just willpower, hard work, and a commitment from a few individuals of integrity. “The government has shown time and again that sports is not a priority. Sixty-four years after independence, they haven’t changed their stance, and I doubt they will,” Odegbami asserted.
In a poignant conclusion, he remarked on Fregene’s plight as a troubling reminder of the challenges faced by athletes. “He’s still waiting for assistance to be transported by ambulance to Oghara Teaching Hospital in Delta State. He has been waiting since Monday. I sincerely hope that Globacom, who have been supporting him over the past year, will respond once more and come to his aid,” Odegbami concluded.
