Just seated in the early hours at Crushly Lounge, around 3 a.m. WAT, after landing at Fès–Saïss Airport, thinking about all the good things that have happened in 2025.

It’s been a real roller coaster of a year for me.

I graduated from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, with a B.Tech in Industrial Mathematics in November last year. Around this time in 2024, I was just settling back into Lagos, fresh off the whole school hustle and bustle.

I got home earlier that week from Akure, and after the long trip to Lagos, you’d expect I would rest or sleep. That wasn’t the case. Work started immediately.

I had just signed with Integral Marketing, and I had to get going straight away. No break. No pause.

Then 2025 came.

In April, I joined a show called The Gliders on BETWGB TV on YouTube 📺. Later in July, I joined the Ikorodu City Football Club media team. Things just kept moving.

It’s been a good year, and now it gets even bigger.

I’m covering my first-ever tournament, and it comes in grand fashion, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON.

As a kid, Football was everything. I kicked anything that could be kicked while walking on the street. I played football in primary school, secondary school, and even at university. I eventually stopped because I kept getting muscle pulls whenever I played.

But my love for the game didn’t stop.

Because of that love, I transitioned into coaching in my second year at university. I won a couple of medals 🏅, and over time, I really began to understand the game beyond just watching it.

The purpose of writing this is simple, to express how much covering AFCON means to me and my career.

I grew up following football passionately, especially the Super Eagles and Nigeria’s national teams. I still remember sneaking out of church to watch the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup final between Nigeria and Spain. As I grew older, I fell in love with the Nigeria Premier Football League.

It’s been a beautiful journey covering NPFL games, and even continental matches involving Nigerian teams.

The last time Nigeria won the AFCON, I was still a secondary school student. Now, 12 years later, I’m covering the same tournament.

A competition I watched so passionately as a younger person.

This isn’t something I take lightly.

I’m grateful to Mr Edafe Eseoghene, who has had a huge impact on my career. To Mr Adepoju Tobi Samuel as well. To my parents, siblings, family, relatives, and my girlfriend, thank you for the constant support.

This is my AFCON debut.

And I’m thankful for every step that led here.