…Unveiling Sports, Politics and Power
By Zik Zulu Okafor
There are men who talk passionately about an era. About history. But they are non-participant observers. There are, however, men who take a plunge into this theatre of history. Their only companion is their intellective strength and courage. Their visage bespeaks grit and ‘no impossibles ‘ . Godwin Dudu Orumen belongs to the latter league . Here is a man whose footprints are not only on the turf of football but in the cultural consciousness of Nigerian sports. Lawyer, Administrator, Thinker, Broadcaster, and Visionary.
In every role, Dudu has carried the weight of excellence with the ease of grace and the excitement of a teenager, though experience has softened his once fiery, sometimes impatient and energetic nature
Between 1993 and 2009, Dudu, as he is fondly called, created, and anchored one of Nigeria’s most iconic sports programmes, The Best of Football, on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). It was a show that wore the garb of a church service . Every Sunday, Nigerians across the country tuned in religiously to watch this incisive, witty, and profoundly analytical broadcast. The Best of Football became a Sunday-Sunday ritual, a must-watch that defined television sports journalism for over a decade and a half. In Dudu’s hands, football analysis transcended banter; it became an art form, thoughtful, intelligent, and deeply engaging.
But perhaps his greatest stroke of genius came in 1994, when he established Sportshaq , Nigeria’s first dedicated sports viewing and discussion centre. At the time, the concept was revolutionary. Today, it is cultural. Across Nigeria now stands an estimated four million viewing centres, focused on football, each a buzzing theatre of passion, debate, and community. If each employs just three staff, that is 12 million Nigerians gainfully engaged ; livelihoods and friendships all linked to an idea first conceived by the extraordinary Dudu Orumen.
For 31 years, Sportshaq has endured , not as a business alone but as a movement, a living ecosystem of sports intellect, camaraderie, and cultural exchange. It is where professionals, dreamers, and lovers of the game gather to share views and laughter, to dissect global matches and local policies. It is a classic rendezvous of generations of friends, and at its centre remains the same unassuming figure — Dudu Orumen the Principal, philosopher, and passionate football aficionado. A man of good taste, of fine food and finer wine, and of a mind ever curious, ever sharp, Dudu is everything football , he epitomizes every memory , and every passion it holds
Now, this quintessential thinker has distilled his reflections into print with the coming release of his landmark book, Sports, Politics and Power : My Perspectives. The title alone commands attention , but the substance, insiders say, is even more formidable.
Here is a work that looks beyond the scorelines and tournaments to explore the soul of sports ; its intersection with politics, power, and identity. It is a book written by one who has not only observed but lived within the dynamics of Nigerian sports ; one who has chaired committees, advised policy makers, and shaped how football is understood, managed, and consumed in the country.
And that word — Perspectives — is key. It signals a book that is not merely historical or autobiographical, but interpretive : Dudu’s deep and discerning view of the forces that drive the game and its governance, of how power can both elevate and erode the spirit of sports.
So significant is this work that the Foreword is written by none other than Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, a former governor of Lagos state and one of Nigeria’s most cerebral leaders , himself a lawyer, footballer, and respected sports promoter.
Said he, ” The author and I share many passions from our youthful days but none of them is as resonant as our mutual passion for sports in general and football in particular. Although he trained as a lawyer, it is around football and sports that he has gained national prominence and become a voice of wisdom on the subject. ”
For Segun Odegbami, one of Nigeria’s most exciting and indeed most gifted footballers of all times, who met Dudu in the early 80s, ” His ( Dudu’s ) knowledge of football was uncanny. How could one so young be so loaded with information about Nigerian football. He is described by friends as football aficionado. I can completely understand. Even the legal luminary, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, a professor of law, lent his voice. ” O have known Godwin-Dudu Orumen for many decades and have always been impressed by his passion and dedication to his chosen field–sports….His commitment to excellence and his passion for sports development are an inspiration to younger ones “, he stated.
No question, when Sports, Politics and Power is unveiled on November 19, 2025, it will not be a mere book presentation. It will be a gathering of minds. Over 30 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, top members of the political class, and leading figures of the organised private sector are expected to attend. They come not just to celebrate a book, but to honour a man whose ideas and passion helped define an era of Nigerian sports.
Dudu Orumen’s legacy is not in trophies or titles, but in transformation, in the way millions now experience football as a shared national language, in how he turned conversation into culture, and in how his integrity continues to give credibility to sports administration.
As he steps forward to unveil this long-awaited chronicle of thought and experience, one truth resounds : Nigeria’s sports story cannot be told without Dudu Orumen.
Indeed, Sports, Politics and Power is more than a book. It is a mirror held up to a nation’s most unifying passion, by one of its most perceptive minds.
Simply put, this book speaks :
The man. The mind. The moment.
This is Dudu Orumen. And this is his masterpiece.
