Alao’s memoir offers rare insight into decades of Nigerian sports and media

Call for new football business model to headline national sports conversation

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Veteran sports journalist and media entrepreneur Dr Mumini Alao, PhD will on Sunday, 10 August 2025, presents his long-awaited autobiography at the University of Lagos. The event, scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Tayo Aderinokun Hall in the University, is expected to attract some of the most influential figures in Nigeria’s sports, media, and business circles.

The public lecture, themed “Rethinking the Current Football Business Model in Nigeria as a Catalyst for Sports Development,” will convene policymakers, stakeholders, and industry leaders to explore strategies for revitalizing the nation’s football industry and leveraging its potential for broader socio-economic growth.

Alao, an award-winning columnist and Group Managing Director at Complete Communication Limited, is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most credible living sports journalists. He rose to national prominence in the early 1990s through his incisive columns and groundbreaking reports for Complete Football magazine and Complete Sports-newspaper. His work provided crucial insights as Nigeria qualified for its first-ever FIFA World Cup in 1994 and later secured Olympic football gold in 1996.

In Mumini Alao: My Autobiography, the author reflects on his decades-long career spanning print, radio, and television, chronicling his rise to become Group Managing Director of Complete Communications Limited Lagos, Nigeria’s leading sports publishing group. The book offers a candid exploration of Alao’s professional milestones, private life, family, faith, and the lessons that shaped his journey, delivered in his trademark engaging style.

The event will be chaired by Mallam Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, while former Lagos State Governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, will deliver a lecture. Honourable Kabiru Amadu, Chairman of the House Committee on Sports, is expected as Special Guest and Co-Launcher, alongside Senator John Owan Enoh, Minister of State for Industry, is expected as Chief Guest of Honour, and Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, President of the Nigeria Football Federation is expected as Special Guest.

Also expected are State Football Association chairmen, top officials of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), former Super Eagles players, Nigerian Olympians, leading journalists, Federal and State government officials, captains of industry, and other distinguished personalities.

Alao’s autobiography is already being hailed as a definitive account of the evolution of sports journalism in Nigeria and an inspiring testament to perseverance and excellence.

The public lecture and book launch are anticipated to spark critical dialogue on the future of sports development in Nigeria, with particular focus on football as a catalyst for national growth.