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Super Eagles Must Win For Kayode Tijani –

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Super Eagles Must Win For Kayode Tijani -

TRIBUTE BY DR. MUMINI ALAO 

 

I am writing this tribute reluctantly. In my Yoruba culture and, I guess, in most other cultures, the hope and prayer is that the young will mourn and bury the old, not the other way round.

 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes, the old have to bury and mourn the young. That is my sad lot with Kayode Tijani who passed away on Wednesday, 7 February 2024.

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He was 55, four years younger than me. I was at his Janaza (Islamic funeral) at the Atan Cemetary in Yaba, Lagos the day after he died.

 

After we did all the funeral rites and Kayode was committed to mother earth, the officiating Imams asked only me, amongst the whole crowd present, to say a word of prayer before the funeral was closed. I did.

 

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I knew who nominated me for that role. It was Kayode’s siblings. They knew about the close relationship that I had with their brother and decided to give me that honour even when hordes of family members and elderly people more qualified than me were present.

 

That decided it for me; I would have to write a tribute to Kayode. I felt at that moment that I owed it to him. Aliu Oluwakayode Tijani was born 6 July 1968, into the Tijani family from Epe in Lagos State.

 

He attended Ansar-ud-Deen Primary School and Ansar-ud-Deen College, both in Isolo, Lagos where the family lived. The Tijani’s are a renown Muslim family within the neighbourhood and devotees worshipped in the mosque built in their family compound.

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Kayode graduated from college in 1986 and proceeded to the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Lagos.

 

He wanted to be a sports journalist. My first encounter with Kayode was in 1990 when he came to work with us at Complete Communications Limited.

 

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I was the editor of Complete Football magazine, and he was fresh from the NIJ. He was crazy about football, and he had a passion for keeping records and statistics, exactly the kind of chap that we needed at the time as a reporter/researcher.

 

That was how he cut his sports journalism teeth working with Dr. Emmanuel Sunny Ojeagbase, Dr. Segun Odegbami, Frank Ilaboya, Ehi Braimah, Sunday Orelesi and myself.

 

Apart from his sports archive which was already very impressive but growing at the time (he inherited loads of Shoot! and MATCH! football magazines from me, too!), Kayode quickly demonstrated a knack for sniffing out exclusive stories which was our forte at Complete Football back in the day.

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One of his biggest scoops was published on pages 14 and 15 of the February 1991 edition of the magazine.

 

It read….”Exclusive Shocker of the Year: Henry Nwosu Hangs His Boots. Says ‘I won’t play in Europe, I won’t play at the World Cup.’” Nwosu did neither before he retired.

 

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But Kayode was restless. He was full of energy. He didn’t stay long with us at Complete Football. After a year and a half, he moved on to become the pioneer sports editor of FAME magazine, a society publication launched by celebrated entertainment journalists Femi Akintunde-Johnson, Kunle Bakare and Mayour Akinpelu.

 

Every week, Kayode’s face appeared in the famous magazine where he wrote about famous sports people. Inevitably, he also became very famous.

 

Meanwhile, his reputation as a sports statistician and sports video collector continued to grow. If anyone in the media and advertising industries needed an old footage of the Nigerian football team from their days as the Red Devils through to when they became Green Eagles and later, Super Eagles, Kayode was the man to see.

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If you wanted footage of Nigerian former Olympians from the 1950’s and 60’s up to the 1980’s and ’90’s; or videos of former boxing world champions Dick Tiger or Hogan Kid Bassey, Kayode had them on VHS cassettes.

 

If you wanted exclusive interviews with Haruna Ilerika or Stephen Keshi or action shots of Segun Odegbami, Christian Chukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Nwankwo Kanu, Mary Onyali, Chioma Ajunwa or Yusuf Ali for your sports documentary or television commercial, Kayode had them.

 

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When the VHS cassettes became outdated, he spent a fortune converting them into digital copies. When Kayode left FAME magazine and relocated to the United Kingdom for a while, his stock grew even further.

 

During one of my trips to England, I appeared on his sports show on BEN TV and noticed how he had built up a sizeable following amongst Nigerians in the diaspora.

 

On his return from the UK, he decided to become a full-time visual content consultant and set up a media outfit, ‘Sport Xclusive’ to mine the lifetime investment he had made in archival records.

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He always said to me that he didn’t want a permanent job with any media organization again because of their penchant to owe staff salaries for months on end.

 

At various times in his career, Kayode was also a personal assistant to former Nigerian minister of sports, Chief Alex Akinyele; he was a correspondent for African Soccer magazine and co-founder of Sportlight, a daily sports newspaper which ran briefly in 1995; we worked together with others in the Organizing Committee of the 8th All-Africa Games, Abuja 2003, which brought him in contact with all shades of people in the Nigerian sports fraternity; he produced and presented several sports programmes on radio and television that cemented his place in the hearts of millions of Nigerian sports fans.

 

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In his own unique way, Kayode contributed immensely to the development of Nigerian sports, and he deserves to be celebrated.

 

When I broke the sad news of Kayode’s death on several WhatsApp platforms of distinguished sports personalities in Nigeria, shocks and commiserations flooded the platforms.

 

From athletes, footballers, basketballers, table tennis players and boxers to sports administrators, referees, coaches and, of course, journalists, everybody knew Kayode Tijani and Kayode Tijani knew everybody!

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The sadness of his passing at such a young age was shared by all. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) described Kayode in a press statement as “an international journalist of repute” while former AIPS President, Mitchel Obi noted that “he served sports and serviced journalism with a rare passion that welcomes him to all.”

 

Veteran journalist and PR practitioner Gboyega Okegbenro who attended the funeral with me described Kayode as “the journalist’s journalist. Many of us relied on him for materials to do our jobs.” Spot on.

Unfortunately, Kayode did not enjoy the best of health in his last years on earth and that resulted in his death on 7 February, 2024 the night when the Super Eagles beat Bafana Bafana of South Africa to qualify for the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

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Had he been well, Kayode would certainly have been in Côte d’Ivoire to cover the Eagles journey as he had done at several competitions in the past.

 

He would have been posting exclusive stories on his social media handles on Facebook and “X” (formerly Twitter) where he was very prolific.

 

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But that was not to be. While Nigerians were celebrating the Eagles’ dramatic penalty shootout victory, Kayode was answering the final call of his creator.

 

I’m making a request to the Super Eagles. Please win this 2023 AFCON for Kayode Tijani and the several other Nigerian fans who reportedly died while watching the highly tensed semifinal win against South Africa.

 

That is the least honour that the Eagles can give to the departed souls. My last word in this tribute goes to Kayode Tijani’s family, particularly his wife, Folashade Ebunoluwa; their three university undergraduate boys, Toyeeb Damilola, AbdulBasit Pelumi, Abdulmalik Olalekan; and Kayode’s brothers and sisters.

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Nearly three decades ago when they got married, I was given the task to go and bring Shade from her family home to Kayode on the wedding night. Since then, I have watched how they sacrificed for each other affectionately and surmounted many hurdles together as a couple.

 

I have also been a witness to the great stress that Kayode’s poor health in his last years brought upon every member of his family.

 

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It tested to the very extreme their love and commitment to their son, husband, father and brother, but they all stood firm and supported him till the very end.

 

This is not to be taken for granted. It’s not all the time that people stand by their own in times of great challenges and difficulties.

 

But in that respect, Kayode was greatly blessed with a truly loving and supportive wife, very courageous children and extremely committed brothers and sisters.

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To the entire family of Aliu Kayode Tijani, I salute you for your steadfastness. May Almighty Allah reward you and admit Kayode into Aljanat Firdaos (The best of Paradise).

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Journalism under siege as sports reporter is jailed in Algeria for reporting on football

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In a disturbing development highlighting the dangers faced by journalists in North Africa, French sports reporter Christophe Gleizes has been sentenced to seven years in prison by an Algerian court for simply doing his job.

Gleizes, a contributor to acclaimed French publications So Foot and Society, was convicted on Sunday, June 29, by the Tizi Ouzou court on charges of “apology for terrorism” and “possession of publications intended to spread propaganda that harms the national interest.” An immediate arrest warrant was issued.

The verdict has sparked outrage in press freedom circles and sports journalism communities, as observers label the trial as politically motivated and devoid of credible evidence.

Gleizes, co-author of the investigative book Magique Système, which explores the exploitation of African footballers, had travelled to Algeria in spring 2024 to research a story on JS Kabylie—one of the country’s most storied football clubs from the 1980s. He was also preparing a tribute to the late Cameroonian footballer Albert Ebossé, who died under mysterious circumstances after a match in Algeria in 2014.

His arrest on May 28, 2024, was reportedly linked to past online exchanges (from 2015 and 2017) with a local football club figure associated with the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), a group banned in Algeria. However, his 2024 interactions were reportedly limited strictly to football-related inquiries for his feature on JSK.

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For over a year, Gleizes had been trapped in Algeria under judicial supervision, barred from leaving the country—a form of de facto house arrest. Now, with a harsh prison sentence handed down, the case is seen as yet another blow to press freedom in Algeria, particularly for journalists covering sensitive issues, even in sports.

Many in the football and media world are calling for Gleizes’ immediate release, condemning what they describe as the criminalisation of journalism and the silencing of free expression under the guise of national security.

The case raises fresh concerns about the increasingly hostile environment for international journalists in the region—even those covering the beautiful game.

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Nigerian sports writers’ body, SWAN at 61 unveils plans marking 6 decades of establishment

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The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has officially unveiled the commemorative logo for its 60th anniversary, marking a major milestone in the Association’s illustrious journey since its establishment in 1964.

The body was founded on February 1, 1964, when a group of journalists met in Lagos. The founding leaders who met at the Broad Street Lagos offices of Daily Times elected Adebayo Thompson of Morning Post as their founding chairman.

Babington Bakare was elected as the vice chairman.  The founding secretary was Maurice Domboh  of West African Pilot while the treasurer was Ishola Folorunsho of the Radio Nigeria. Cyril Kappo of Daily Times was the inaugural assistant secretary while Ajibade Fashina-Thomas of Daily Times was the publicity secretary.

The ex-officio members were Peter Osugo (Daily Times) and Sola Oluwole of Daily Express.

In reality, SWAN will be celebrating 60 years plus one. According to a press statement by the national executive of SWAN, the unveiling of the anniversary logo signals the beginning of a series of activities lined up to celebrate six decades of outstanding contributions to sports journalism, development, and advocacy in Nigeria.

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The logo, creatively designed in vibrant green and white, proudly incorporates the figure “60” and the SWAN emblem — a reflection of the Association’s legacy and enduring impact in the sporting landscape of the country.

A ribbon bearing the inscription “Years Anniversary” boldly affirms the significance of the diamond jubilee.

SWAN President Isaiah Benjamin described the unveiling as a symbolic moment of pride, reflection, and rededication.

“As we unveil this logo, we are not just celebrating the past 60 years, but also reigniting our collective commitment to professionalism, integrity, and the promotion of sports through responsible journalism,” he stated.

He added that the anniversary celebration will feature a rich lineup of activities, including awards, public lectures, media games, recognition of sports icons and veterans, as well as a gala night to honour distinguished personalities who have supported SWAN’s mission over the years.

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The three-day anniversary event will be held in October, aligning with Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day celebration.

The 60th anniversary comes as SWAN intensifies its role in shaping narratives around sports governance, policy, and inclusive participation across all levels.

Members of the media, partners, stakeholders, and the general public are enjoined to join in the celebration of this historic achievement and support the Association’s vision for the future.

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Commemorative publication on Motsepe’s first term as CAF boss available for download

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Dr Patrice Motsepe, who was returned unopposed as CAF president on Wednesday in Cairo, has had his first term in office documented.

According to the CAF publication, Motsepe will build on the extensive progress he made during his first term to make African Football globally competitive.


Dr Motsepe’s objective when he first took office in March 2021 was to make African Football self-sustaining and drive growth in several different spheres. The last four years have seen CAF move its development agenda forward at pace with many historic firsts.

These achievements are contained in a publication to mark Dr Motsepe’s first four years as President, titled, ‘The Growth and Success of African Football Continues’, which media can download here

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The magazine walks us through Dr Motsepe’s 10-point plan when he took office, and the wide-ranging advances that have been made towards reaching and surpassing his objectives.

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