Ese Brume reveals how she escaped death after winning gold at Asaba 2018 Dedicates 2019 NSA awards to coach Yahaya
New book on Super Eagles unveils hidden facts of Nigerian football
SIXTEEN months after winning a gold medal for Nigeria at Asaba 2018 African Senior Athletics Championship, Commonwealth and African gold medallist in the women’s long jump, Ese Brume has revealed how she escaped death on her way to Lagos.
Brume, who is combining education with her athletics career in a university in North Cyprus, was one of the top stars at the end of Asaba 2018.
However, Brume and some other foreign-based athletes left Asaba on a sad note following alleged failure by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to pay their daily allowance of $700, as well as $3,000 each gold medallist was supposed to get. Apart from not getting her financial dues, Brume narrowly escaped death on her way to Lagos.
Speaking with
during the Nigeria Sports Award at Eko hotel in Lagos, Brume narrated how the vehicle she boarded from Benin City narrowly missed attack by gunmen around Ore, Ondo State.
“People who are close to me know that I hardly complain. But there are certain things you don’t do to athletes,” she stated. “At the end of Asaba 2018, it was a rude shock for some of us to receive just N107, 000 as total allowance for the duration of the game. Some of us had to reject it because we considered it as an insult. I was almost stranded because there was not provision for flight to take me to Lagos. I had to go by road.
“Shortly after we passed Ore, our driver stopped. He came down and strolled around the vehicle without saying a word to us. That was our saving grace because all the buses and cars that passed us ran into an ambush by the gunmen. Many people were killed and several others got injured. I am sure God used the driver to prevent us from running into the ambush. My body was shaking all through the journey to Lagos. I am speaking on that terrible experience for the first time and I felt so bad that the AFN could treat us that way.”
Brume also alleged that top officials of the AFN turned their back on her after she rescued a bronze medal for Nigeria at the 2019 IAAF World Championship in Doha.
“I don’t know what else to do to impress these people. After I won the bronze medal in Doha, nobody in the AFN came to say a word
Nigeria has undoubtedly made major marks in global football with Nigerian teams hitting notable milestone as the first side outside Europe to win the Olympic Games gold medal in 68 years following the exploits of the Kanu Nwankwo-led Dream Team of 1996.
That is not all, the Nigerian U23 football team also became the first in the world to win gold, silver and bronze medal of the Olympic Games three years ago before Brazil later on the same day equalled the mark.
Those and more are the marks of the Nigerian football on the global scene that most football followers may not have noticed.
Those are just the tips on the iceberg as the upcomto me. I was abandoned. I was alone for the remaining days I spent in Doha waiting for my flight. No word of congratulation from the AFN. I felt neglected. It is not the best way to encourage an athlete,” she lamented.
Brume jumped 6.91m to captured Nigeria’s only medal in Doha 2019. Meanwhile, Brume, who emerged as Athletics star of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year at the Eighth ing book, “
unveils the hidden treasure of information on Nigeria’s national team.
Written by Kunle Solaja, the book is easily a major Nigerian contribution to global football literature. Some intriguing revelations are made. For instance, while it may be known that Nigeria’s first national team was composed in 1949, the actual date may not have been known before now.
The latest work of football historian, Kunle Solaja has revealed the fact. The book reveals the first player to score a hat trick for the national team.
Some other issues that got answered include Nigeria’s first scorer in a World Cup qualifying match; the first scorer in an Africa Cup of
Nigerian Sports Award, has dedicated it to her coach, Kayode Yahaya.
Africa badminton champion, Opeyori Anuoluwapo was crowned in two different categories, 2019 Rackets Person of the Year and Sportsman of the Year, while former Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo emerged footballer of the year. D’tigress captain, Evelyn Akhator won the Basketball Person of the Year award.
Nations qualifying series; the first match in which the offside rule was first applied in Nigeria, among others.
There are more. The book offers the information on the first time the Nigeria national team was involved in a tiebreaker, penalty shootout and the first Nigerian player to be expelled at an international match.
The own-goal scored by Godwin Odiye in 1977 is always evergreen. But the new book on the Super Eagles has revealed that Odiye was not the first culprit.
Probably, many may not have known that the creator of the red and yellow card in football had refereed in Nigeria. The new book that will be available to the public later this December makes the revelation.