The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) has received with huge shock news of the demise of the founder and Executive Chairman of Complete Communications Limited, Publishers of Complete Sports Newspapers, Success Digest and other Online Publications, Dr Emmanuel Sunny Ojeagbase.
Dr Ojeagbase died on Saturday, 26th February, 2022 in Atlanta, United States of America (USA) after a brief illness at the age of 71.
SWAN recalls his tremendous contributions to Sports Development through his various publications which have provided gainful employments for hundreds of Nigerian youths, including many of our members serving across the country.
The Complete Sports has offered a platform, where many SWAN members practised and even excelled in their chosen career.
SWAN takes solace in the fact that late Sunny Ojeagbase lived a very fulfilled life and will be remembered for enduring legacies he has left behind.
The late media icon made his landmark as the pioneer publisher of sports news in Nigeria, when in 1984 he established the Sports Souvenir weekly newspaper.
He began his career in sports journalism as a stringer at the Daily Times Newspapers in the mid-1970s and due to his dedication and hard work, late Ojeagbase grew on the job and was appointed Sports Editor of Sunday Concord Newspapers at inception in 1980 and Sports Editor of The Guardian Newspapers also at inception in 1983.
With a burning desire to become an employer instead of remaining an employee, late Ojeagbase resigned from The Guardian in 1984 and founded the Sports Souvenir.
Between 1984 and 1994, late Ojeagbase added several other sports titles including Complete Football Magazine, Complete Football International (CFI) and International Soccer Review (ISR) into the Nigerian Sports market.
Complete Football titles played very prominent roles in the development of sports in the country, including Nigeria’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup at USA 1994 as well as the exploits at the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games, also in the USA, where Nigeria won two gold medals, an achievement that made him to float the Complete Sports as a sports newspaper in 1995.
SWAN therefore commiserates with his family, entire sports family and pray God to console all; and for his soul to rest in peace.
