Former Nigerian football great Segun Odegbami has raised alarm over the critical health condition of his ex-teammate and fellow 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner, Kadiri Ikhana.
In a heartfelt message posted on Facebook, Odegbami revealed that Ikhana is currently battling a life-threatening illness and is in urgent need of medical intervention.
According to Odegbami, Ikhana has been transferred to Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Auchi, Edo State, where he is undergoing further investigation and a blood transfusion. “He is critically ill,” Odegbami stated, adding that the cost of his treatment is being borne by Austin Braimoh, the former chairman of the South-South Police Service Commission.
“In a barely audible voice, while he was conscious, Kadiri asked me to beg Nigerians to pray for him,” Odegbami wrote. “That’s exactly what I am doing now.”
The 1980 AFCON champions were once the pride of Nigerian football.
Ikhana, who also represented Nigeria at the 1980 Olympics and starred for Bendel Insurance, later cemented his legacy as one of the most successful coaches in the Nigerian domestic scene — famously guiding Enyimba FC to a historic CAF Champions League title in 2003.
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In his post, Odegbami made a passionate appeal to the Edo State Government, the National Sports Commission (NSC), and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to intervene.
He lamented the growing list of ex-internationals struggling with health issues and poverty.
“In the past four months, five of us have died, and at relatively young ages,” he wrote. “We don’t know if it’s due to the extreme physical demands of our careers, but we must investigate. We need answers — and we need help.”
The Nigerian sports community has recently mourned the losses of Christian Chukwu, Peter Rufai, and Charles Bassey, all of whom passed away following protracted illnesses.
As Ikhana fights for his life, Odegbami’s call serves as both a wake-up call and a cry for support — for one of Nigeria’s most respected sports icons and a generation of forgotten heroes.