“MKPEBI”
(Disability Is Just Different Ability)

He wasn't born crippled but suffered paralysis of both legs after an illness and treatment that left him paralyzed from the waist down and left him bound to a wheelchair.

Even though he was crippled, he never wanted anyone to pity him because he believed disability was just a thing of the mind.

“DON’T LET THE MIND LIMIT WHAT AN ABLE HEART CAN DO.” He was constantly reminded of his condition by people and coming from a very poor background didn't help either but he found solace in music.

He always wanted to do music full-time because he believed he had the gift of music but it was hard and close to impossible because there were no funds or backing from anyone to help him.

In the midst of these uncertainties, he would sing either to God or to himself to console and encourage himself.

“ENCOURAGE YOURSELF!!!”

“THE ANTELOPE”
(A Leap Of Faith)

She was the last born and only girl in a family of 9 and lived with her family in her village, Ahiazu-Mbaise in Imo State.

She was barely 13 when she saw 3 police officers walking toward her, they asked her to come and she got scared and ran for her life.

It was that “Race For Her Life” that changed her life.

#OdogwuTales
#MTNChamps2
#MTNChampsIbadan The police officers later caught up with her and told her, their boss wanted to speak with her.

They took her to their Police boss who was expecting to see a grown-up and asked, “Where is the antelope?”

The officers pointed to her explaining, that she was a fast runner so the villagers gave her the nickname, “The Antelope”.

The Police Boss explained to her that the Police wanted her to represent them in the ongoing “Police Games” as an athlete.

“AWONIYI”
(The Boy Who Dared To Dream)

Taiwo Awoniyi’s story started in the industrial City of Ilorin, Kwara State in a family of 6 kids.

Taiwo’s father was a prison officer whose salary was barely enough to feed his family but it never stopped him from sending 6 of them to school.

He would borrow money just to pay their fees because he believed education was their way out of hardship but God had other plans.

“GOD ALWAYS HAS A PLAN, TRUST IT”
#OdogwuTales His father wanted him to read medicine and become a doctor but young Taiwo fell in love with the round leather game and only wanted to play football.

His mother noticed his love for football and bought him his first ball, a ball commonly called “Felele”.

His father was still insistent on him going to school but after a while, they came to an agreement which is “Do well in school then you play, any term he fails, no football”

“FOLLOW YOUR PASSION”

“JUST WAIT”
(Delay Is Not Denial)

For 3years I was denied admission to study medicine and this wasn't a result of my score, one of the years I was the highest in JAMB for those that applied for medicine, but still nothing.

I was heartbroken, my friends had gotten admission and it looked like I was the only one left, that was when my youngest sister, Laurel did something that shocked me.

She was still in Junior Secondary then, so you can imagine her age.

#OdogwuTales She came home from school and bought me an artwork that had the inscription “Delay Is Not Denial” and told me, “Brother don't worry”.

There are times you want to stand firm as a man and not shed tears but certain actions just break you wide open, yeah, this was one.

I sobbed like a kid, thanked her, and hung the artwork on my wall as a daily reminder that “Delay Is Not Denial”.

“FORBIDDEN LOVE”
(The Story Of Nigerians ‘Troosted’ General)

This is not the typical from grass to glory story of most footballers as he was born in Harlem, Netherlands to a Nigerian father from Akwa Ibom and a Dutch mother.

As a kid, he loved football but it was a forbidden love that led to a serious friction in his family between his parents.

He simply refused to give up on his love and it had serious consequences.

#AFCON2023
#OdogwuTales His father wanted him to go to school as he didn’t see any future in football for him and at the age of 12 sent him to a boarding school in England.

Ekong got to England and instead of focusing on his studies and gaining admission to the university fell more in love with the game of football.

After 3 years, his father was expecting him to return home with university admission but Ekong returned with documents to gain admission into a football Academy and this infuriated his father who refused to sign the documents.

“NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAM, BUT YOU DO”

“ONYEKA”
(The Nigerian Midfield Tank)

As the second child out of 5 kids, Onyeka grew up with responsibilities hanging on his shoulders.

He had to mend roofs after school to support his family, so when he said he wanted to go the football route, he didn't get much support.

His mother out of concern, wanted Onyeka to focus on his studies just like every other African mother would have done at that time, but Onyeka held on to his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

“JUST HOLD ON”
#OdogwuTales
#AFCON2023 It wasn't just the family discouraging him, everyone around him didn't see the future Onyeka saw in football and kept telling him to give up.

Onyeka said, “People told me to quit football because there was nothing there” and because of this he had to trek for over 40 minutes to train, avoiding highways and taking longer, lonely routes to avoid people who kept discouraging him from football.

As a proper Benin boy, he never gave in, all these struggles motivated him to keep pushing.

“KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF FORWARD, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES”

“NWABALI”
(The Beacon Of Hope)

It’s been a “Gulder Ultimate Search” to get Vincent Enyeama’s replacement.

Cancer robbed us of Carl Ikeme and since then we’ve combed Europe looking for a replacement going from Akpeyi to Madueke and recently Uzoho.

None of them worked out well until we met “Bobo”, a player not many knew about until this tournament started.

“WHEN IT’S YOUR TIME, IT IS YOUR TIME.”
#OdogwuTales Stanley Bobo Nwabali was born in Rivers State, Portharcourt, and like most kids his age wanted to be a footballer, an outfield footballer.

Growing up on the streets of Port Harcourt, he was a striker who wanted to score goals, not catch them.

His passion for becoming a footballer took him to Go Round FC, a club based in Omoku, Rivers State where his youth coach converted him from a striker to a goalkeeper.

“SOMETIMES YOUR PLANS MIGHT FAIL BUT TRUST GOD TO ALWAYS HAVE A BETTER OPTION.”

“DOUBLE WAHALA”
(The Curious Case Of Umar Sadiq)

Nigeria played Guinea in a Pre-AFCON friendly which featured Real Sociedad striker, Umar Sadiq.

During the match, Umar Sadiq had a knock and the Nigerian medical team recommended an immediate substitution but Sadiq insisted that he was fine and saw out the match.

Wahala…😏😏😏
#OdogwuTales During the press conference, Sadiq said he had a “small knock” and should be fine but as required, he had to be assessed by the Nigerian Medical Team.

This is where it got messy!!!

The Nigerian Medical Team assessed him the next day and said Umar Sadiq had suffered a MENISCAL INJURY and ruled him out for at least 15 days.

Another Wahala….😏😏😏

“BIG VIC”
(The Story Of The Dancing Assassin)

Victor Boniface like most Nigerian young boys wanted to become a footballer and at a very young age, he left home(Akure) to Lagos State to join Real Sapphire Academy.

He impressed while at Real Sapphire and this earned him a move to Europe just aged 18, joining the Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

NOW, THE STORY BEGINS….
#OdogwuTales He arrived in Northern Norway in 2019 to join Bodo/Glimt and also earned a call-up to join the Nigerian Under-20 side.

2 weeks after signing for Bodo/Glimt and 7 days before the Under-20 Nations Cup, Victor Boniface had a knee injury, tearing his ACL in training.

This was a big blow as he was ruled out for 6 months meaning he couldn't go to the Nations Cup or debut for his new club and he was just 18 YEARS!!!!

“IT DOESN’T GET EASIER, YOU JUST GET STRONGER”

“ORBAN”
(The Wonderkid From Nowhere)

Barely a yew and a few months ago, Gift Emmanuel Orban was thinking of quitting football and becoming an “Olokpa” but decided to give it another go when it happened.

Like every Nigerian boy, Gift loved football and wanted to become a professional footballer and this led to him skipping classes to play football.

This risk almost turned FATAL!!!
#OdogwuTales Gift Orban’s father was Nigerian and his mother, a Togolese so when he couldn't get any club to sign him in Nigeria, he went to Togo in 2021.

In Togo, he participated in a football trial organized by Nigerian football Scout, Ola Fowler in Lome, Togo’s capital where he decided if it didn't go well, he will try to become a police officer, an “Olokpa”.

Ola Fowler loved what he saw and invited Gift Orban to another trial in Akwa Ibom, Uyo.

“THERE IS NO SCRIPT FOR LIFE”

“CALVIN BASSEY”
(No Gree For Anybody!!!)

Calvin Bassey was only 6 years old when his father abandoned his mum and his 3 other brothers in Italy where he was born.

His mother had to move to the Uk with her 4 sons settling in one of the roughest parts of London called “Newham”, a place Bassey said at the time was like a “War Zone”.

#OdogwuTales Kids were being stabbed and killed due to gang violence and Bassey lost 2 of his mates that period with one shot dead, it was “deadly” area at the time.

There was only two ways to survival, either you end up in a gang or you play football, and Calvin Bassey chose to play the beautiful game, football but things only got worse.

“EVERYTHING YOU ARE COMES FROM YOUR CHOICES”

“E DEY!!!”
(Masters Energy Industrial City)

Since yesterday, the good people of the southeast have been displaying their flamboyant edifices but some people were not impressed and asked to see factories that employ more than 300 people.

I just want to tell them that “E Dey” and this one is located in my village, Uturu in Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State.

Follow me for a tour of the Masters Energy Industrial City.


• MASTER ORGANIC FERTILIZER PLANT.

The Organic Fertilizer Plant is completed.

The machines for the production of organic fertilizer from animal wastes, household/market wastes, and farm wastes are fully installed.

The Plant is designed to sustain a waste-to-wealth policy and for a cleaner and green environment.

Robert Lewis was an 18yr old kid from Leek, Staffordshire who on the 13th of March 2020 was struck by a van and suffered severe head injuries.

He was flown by an air ambulance to Royal Stoke University Hospital where 4 days later, he was confirmed: “DEAD”.

#OdogwuTales He was confirmed “Brain Stem Dead”.

If someone in the UK is diagnosed as brain dead then the damage is considered irreversible and they're legally confirmed as dead.

The brain stem controls breathing and heart rate, so when it's dead, the body can't breathe on its own.

She was born with HIV.

She had AIDS at age 5.

She has had fungus in her brain, blood infections, etc.

She was told she won't live past the age of 5.

She was sprayed bleach on her face because she sneezed in school.

This is the “STORY OF HYEDIA”

#OdogwuTales
#WorldAIDSDay2023
Hyedia Broadbent was born June 14, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Her biological mother was a drug addict who abandoned her at the hospital just after she was born.

She was adopted at 6 weeks old by adoptive parents, Loren and Patricia Broadbent.

Nobody knew she had HIV.

“FAITH vs MEDICINE”
(The Tragic Case Of Raphael Dwamena)

Raphael was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana 28yrs ago and like most kids born in Ghana, and like most kids had fallen in love with the round leather game, football!

He got the opportunity to pursue his dream when he joined the Red Bull Ghana Under 17 team.

It was just the start of a crazy story of “Faith vs Medicine”

#OdogwuTales
He played for the RB Ghana U-17 team at the “Red Bull Ghana Developmental Program” in Croix, France in 2013, helping his team to win the silver medal.

He was named the best player of the tournament and this earned him a move to FC Salzburg in Austria where he joined the Under-18 team winning the golden boot in his first season.

His talent was UNDENIABLE.

The news of Mr. Ibu’s leg being amputated reminded me of something that happened during my internship.

It was during my orthopedic surgery posting, that my chief was one of the best orthopedic surgeons if not the best in the hospital, and everybody wanted him to manage them.

That meant more work for his house officers which I was one of them 🥹🥹🥹 So one day one of the big nurses in the hospital used her position to get her mum to be registered under my chief.

Her mother was diabetic, and on insulin but she wasn't consistent with her insulin making her sugar level quite high.

If it was just the sugar level, it wouldn't be an issue, her right leg was gone, like when we saw her, the foot was rotten and to save her life, it needed to be amputated.

“ALLYSON FELIX”
(Her Nike Pregnancy Story)

Allyson Felix was always focused on doing one thing as an athlete and that was winning medals.

By the time she was 32, she was one of the most decorated athletes in history, a 6 time Olympic medal winner and an 11-time world champion.

In 2018 she decided to start a family and that was where she had issues with Nike.

#OdogwuTales
#DayOfTheGirl
At this point, she was one of Nike’s most widely marketed athletes and was trying to renegotiate a new Nike contract as the last one ended in December 2017.

She gave birth to her daughter in November 2018 via C/S as she had “Severe Pre-Eclampsia” that put the lives of both her and her unborn child in grave danger.

“KHABANE LAME”
(The Man Who Never Speaks)

Khabane Lame popularly known as “Khaby Lame” was born in Dakar, Senegal and when he was just a year old, his family moved to Italy in search of a better life.

It didn’t get any better for Khaby Lame because he was dyslexic and this led to him being rejected from middle school, high school and college.

Before we continue, what’s dyslexia?
#OdogwuTales Dyslexia is a learning disability in reading. People that have dyslexia find it difficult to read fluently without making mistakes.

They may also have difficulties in understanding what they’re reading, spelling and writing.

This is not a problem of intelligence as dyslexic people are also as smart as their peers when taught in a different manner.

Most kids have been termed “dummy” in school when what they have is dyslexia.

“KANGAROO CARE”
(Skin To Skin Contact)

The first picture shows Harry Kante’s newborn baby, Henry lying on his bare chest, it’s a practice called “Kangaroo Care”.

Benefits of Kangaroo Care;
1. Stabilize the baby’s heart rate
2. Improving the baby’s breathing, making it more regular
3. It also helps with sleeping 4. It encourages baby growth
5. Lowers the baby’s chances of getting hypothermia (too cold) as the parents body warms the baby up
6. It establishes bond between parent and child
7. In mothers, it establishes breastfeeding and encourages milk supply.

Not everyone should be allowed to do the “Kangaroo Care”

“OLALADE”
(The Evolution Of Mr. Money)

Asake’s story can't be told without mentioning Obafemi Awolowo University(O.A.U) where according to his friend, Yhemolee, he started off as a floater before gaining admission to read “Dramatic Arts”.

Dramatic Arts didn’t change his life but the friends he met at O.A.U did and the change was indeed dramatic.

#OdogwuTales
#Asake02Arena In O.A.U, Asake met and became friends with Yhemolee, Fireboy, Super Boy Cheque, Chinko Ekun and Blaqbones.

They all started their music journey in O.A.U and in 2016 when they were done with school, life as an adult dawned on them.

Yhemolee decided to head back to Lagos after staying 2 months in school doing nothing, Super Boy Cheque and Asake followed Yhemolee with no concrete plans.

“LAVIZZY”
(A Gem Spotted By A King)

His parents migrated from Africa and settled in Brussels, Belgium where they gave birth to a gem called “ROMEO LAVIA” who was spotted by a “KING”.

His story shows that there are people who come into our life in a particular season for a reason, they're there to help us, then move on.

#OdogwuTales Romeo’s father migrated from Ghana and his mum has her roots traced down to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They supported Romeo’s dreams of becoming a footballer and at the tender age of 6, started playing for a local team called “S.C Woluwe” whilst attending primary school.

In 2012, aged 8, he gained admission into one of the biggest football academies in Belgium, the Anderlecht Academy.