It is a cruel twist of fate for one of Nigeria’s most notable sports journalists, Godwin Spiff-Sagbama, whose death was announced today, September 30, 2014.
His last post on social media platform, Facebook, was about the death of Tobi, the son of fellow sports personality, Aisha Falode. On Facebook, where he has a total of 4,964 friends, he wrote on March 11, 2014: ‘To my good friend and broadcast colleague, AISHA FALODE who lost a 19 year son. I could not write a thing since it happened. In the midst of the storm, the winds and the wave, You still be faithful oh God, You still be faithful my Lord. Faithful! You are still faithful, everyday you are faithful.’
Sagbama, the Managing Director of sports marketing company Hally Sports International, and the presenter of Sports Business on Africa Independent Television (AIT), was pronounced dead after succumbing to a critical medical condition linked to the brain.
He studied Economics at the University of Ilorin and was an authoritative sports personality until his untimely death. Founder of the Sports Business and Media Awards, he also presented ‘Sports Extra’ on AIT with Mitchel Obi and long before then, produced and presented Global Sports, an evening sports programme on Star FM, sponsored by the now defunct Global Bank.
Sagbama had a long history in Nigeria’s sports reporting arena but fell ill sometime in July, with the situation becoming very critical towards the end of August, as sources say he had undergone two unsuccessful surgeries to treat his brain condition.
Confirming his death were his colleagues, Ade Ojeikere of The Nation newspapers and Godwin Enakhena, who anchors sports programmes on LTV and Top Radio. He is believed to have been survived by Comfort and Sisi Sagbama, his wife and daughter.
