A renowned psychologist , Professor Olufemi Adegbesan, will serve as book reviewer today at the public presentation of Dr. Emmanuel Edem Ikpeme’s new book, organisers confirmed.
The event holds at the VIP Lounge, Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, with the programme starting at 12 noon.
Adegbesan, immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ibadan and an adjunct professor at the Pan African University, was appointed professor in 2012. He has worked on the African Union’s sports development framework under Agenda 2063 and helped design a sports management postgraduate curriculum in Zambia. He is national president of the Sport Psychology Association of Nigeria and has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles, including in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Meanwhile, legendary youth coach, Manu Garba, described Ikpeme as “an amazing psychologist, hardworking and straightforward man,” and “a detribalised and complete Nigerian,” crediting him as one of the NFF administrative staff who secured Cross River State Government backing for the 2013 U-17 team’s camping, qualifiers and pre-departure preparations in Calabar.
Garba said the arrangement “contributed immensely” to wins over Niger, Guinea and Mali in qualifying, before the team went on to set the record for the highest-scoring side in FIFA U-17 World Cup history, netting 25 goals in seven matches and conceding four en route to the UAE title.
He credited the squad’s success to “the good working relationship” among the technical and administrative team, naming assistant coaches Emmanuel Amuneke and Nduka Ugbade, goalkeeping coach Emeka Amadi, team doctor Deji Olarinoye, physiotherapist, team secretary Tayo Egbaiyelo, media officer Morakinyo Abodunrin, team coordinator Suleiman Abubakar, the Musa Muhammad-led squad, and prompt bonus payments under the Aminu Maigari-led NFF board.
Garba noted that a 2013 pledge of houses for the squad by the Cross River State Government under Senator Liyel Imoke remains outstanding, adding documentation of such episodes by administrators offers a useful record for how Nigeria manages its sporting heritage.
