MEDIA
Osimhen dominates 2021 The Ballers Awards
Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen won two of the 19 categories as the fourth edition of The Ballers Award took place at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The award celebrated the performances of the awardees in 2021.
Osimhen was not the only star performer. Calvin Bassey, Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala and legendary Nigeria international Chief Segun Odegbami were among winners at the 2021 The Ballers Awards.
Other recipients include Joe Aribo, Zaidu Sanusi, Maduka Okoye, Ahmed Musa, Kennedy Boboye, Paul Onuachu and Anayo Iwuala.
Present at Sunday’s awards were NFF’s first Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi; Chief Segun Odegbami; Group Managing Director, Complete Communications Limited, Dr. Mumini Alao and Chairman Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepekun.
Also present were renowned radio/tv sports presenters; Deji Omotoyinbo, Charles Anazodo, Mozez Praiz and Big Brother Naija Lockdown Housemate, Ozoemena who presented one of the awards.
In the awards categories, Osimhen won both Forward of the Year and Baller of the Year for male, Bassey got the Revelation of the Year award, Chief Odegbami was handed the Legendary Baller award, Onuachu was awarded Super Eagles Goal of the Year and Oshoala was the recipient for both the Fans’ Favourite Baller and Female Baller of the Year awards.
The Goalkeeper of the Year went to Maduka Okoye, Sanusi was picked as the Best Defender of the Year, Aribo was awarded Midfielder of the Year, Super Eagles skipper Musa was named Humanitarian of the Year, Boboye was voted Coach of the Year, Esperance of Tunisia forward Anayo Iwuala was awarded Best Local Based Player and Ajani Waheed went home with Most Promising Baller.
And in other awards categories, Akinwunmi bagged the Excellence in Leadership award and veteran journalist Kunle Solaja got the Industry Icon of the Year award.
Also, Shina Oludare of goal.com won Best Print/Online, the Best TV/VLOG was awarded to Hindsight Podcast while Justina Aniefiok won Best Sports Photography.
Representatives collected the awards for most of the winners who were not present at the event.
There were music, dance and comedy performances to entertain the guests.
Former Nigeria internationals like Joe Erico, Barnabas Imenger, Justice Christopher, Yisa Shofoluwe, who recently passed away were all remembered by the organizers of the award.
Also remembered were Complete Sports founder and Nigeria sport icon Dr. Sunny Emmanuel Ojeagbase and former NFF Technical Director Kashimawo Laloko.
Speaking after the awards, founder of Naijafootballers organizers of The Ballers Awards, Gbenga Salu, thanked everybody who made out time to be at the award.
“Let me use this opportunity to say a big thank you to everybody who attended this award I can’t thank you enough. You made it possible by making out time to be here.
“We look forward to the next edition which will come up next year and we hope it would be bigger that what we just witnessed because we always pray that the new edition is bigger than the previous. So once again I want to say a big thank you to everybody I’m grateful.”
Winners at the 2021 The Ballers Awards:
REVELATION OF THE YEAR
Calvin Bassey
– FANS’ FAVOURITE BALLER
Asisat Oshoala
– GOAL KEEPER OF THE YEAR
Maduka Okoye
– DEFENDER OF THE YEAR
Zaidu Sanusi
– MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Joe Aribo
– FORWARD OF THE YEAR
Victor Osimhen
– BALLER OF THE YEAR – MALE
Victor Osimhen
– BALLER OF THE YEAR – FEMALE
Asisat Oshoala
– HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR
Ahmed Musa
– MOST PROMISING BALLER
Ajani Waheed
– COACH OF THE YEAR
Kennedy Boboye
– SUPER EAGLES GOAL OF THE YEAR
Paul Onuachu VS LESOTHO
– BEST LOCAL BASED PLAYER
Anayo Iwuala
– BEST TV/VLOG
Hindsight Podcast(YOUTUBE)
– BEST PRINT/ONLINE
Shina Oludare (goal.com)
– BEST SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Justina Aniefiok
– INDUSTRY ICON OF THE YEAR
Kunle Solaja
– EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARD
Seyi Akinwunmi
– LEGENDARY BALLER
Segun Odegbami
By KUNLE SOLAJA.
Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has urged Nigeria to adopt sports as a central pillar of national economic development, describing it as an untapped solution to the country’s youth unemployment crisis.
Speaking at the public presentation of sports journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography at the University of Lagos, Fashola said Nigeria’s policymakers have “ignored a solution hiding in plain sight” by failing to fully develop sports as a business.
“Sports is a profession that employs mainly young people from their teenage years to around 40.
“When I reflect on the Nigerian problem of youth employment, I tell myself that it persists perhaps because we have been ignoring the solution,” he stated.
Fashola cited global examples of sports as a major economic driver, including the English Premier League’s £3.36 billion GDP contribution to the UK economy in 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s recent sports investments that have added 1% to its GDP.
He recommended integrating sports into national development plans, revamping school curricula to nurture talent from an early age, developing modern sports infrastructure, and ensuring safety, security, and good governance in sports administration.
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Top dignitaries expected at the public presentation of frontline journalist Mumini Alao’s autobiography have been confirming their attendance at the event, which will hold at the Tayo Aderinokun Lecture Theatre, University of Lagos, on Sunday, 10th August 2025, at 1:00 pm.
Top of the bill is former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who will deliver a lecture on the topic, ‘Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria As a Catalyst for Sports Development.’ Fashola met Alao at the final of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup table tennis tournament at the Teslim Balogun stadium on Tuesday, 5th August and reassured the author of his preparedness for the lecture.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Mudashiru Obasa, also noted his commitment to the event in a message sent to the author, who is the speaker’s constituent in the Agege area of Lagos State, where he (Alao) grew up.
Obasa will be the chief presenter of the autobiography. He will be supported by Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.
Also confirming his attendance is the Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC). Dikko will lead other top sports officials from the NSC, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to listen to Fashola’s postulation on Nigerian football.
Rounding off the list of principal guests expected at the public lecture and book presentation is former sports minister Senator John Owan Enoh who is currently the Minister of State for Industry. Enoh wrote a foreword in the book alongside former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu.
Other guests expected at the event are federal and states sports associations officials, Nigerian former Olympians and former Super Eagles players, journalists, family, friends, associates and fans of the book writer.
Dr. Mumini Alao, is an accomplished Nigerian sports journalist, author and media entrepreneur. He rose to the position of group managing director of Complete Communications Limited, publishers of widely-read popular journals, Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports newspapers. His last published book was “The Making of Nigeria’s Dream Team: Football Gold Medal Winners At Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games.”
Alao’s latest work, his autobiography, is a no-holds-barred narration of his professional and private lives spanning 60 years. Dr. Bolu John Folayan of the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro will be the book reviewer, while SuperSports presenter, Mozez Praiz, will be the master of ceremony.
The event will be streamed live to a global audience on the YouTube channel of Complete Sports.
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All is set for the public presentation of the autobiography of renowned Nigerian sports journalist, Dr. Mumini Alao, with former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), confirmed as the keynote speaker at the high-profile event.
Dr. Alao, a respected figure in Nigerian sports media and former Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Ltd., announced the development following a meeting with Fashola on Tuesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the finals of the ITTF Africa Youth Cup.
Everyone anxiously awaits the launch of the autobiography. It is about one of Nigeria’s best sports journalists. This author has contributed appreciably to Nigeria’s sports literature.
The former governor, who was at the venue to present trophies at the continental table tennis event, confirmed his readiness to speak at the book launch scheduled for Sunday, August 10, at the University of Lagos.
According to Dr. Alao, Fashola will speak on the topic: “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development.”
“I’m sure this topic will be of interest to all of us stakeholders in Nigerian football,” Dr. Alao remarked, while inviting members of the public and sports community to grace the event.
The book, chronicling Alao’s decades-long career in sports journalism, promises to be a compelling reflection on the evolution of Nigerian sports media, landmark events, and the personalities that have shaped the industry.
The launch is expected to attract a broad audience of media professionals, football administrators, athletes, and policymakers.
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