African football expert Tunde Adelakun has expressed a desire and commitment to put measures in place immediately that would, in his words, "challenge the authorities who have failed in giving due and deserved recognition to our sports heroes over the years".

Although I want him to rest in peace, I refuse to use the hashtag #RIP to the name of Stephen Keshi. Rather, I want to use my own catchphrase #KeshiImpact.

Nigerian football has been turbulent since the start of 2016. From one calamity to another – the less than average outing of the home based national team at the CHAN in Rwanda, to the video rant of the then coach, culminating in his subsequent resignation, on to Nigeria failing to qualify for a second time in the Africa Cup in a row.

Premier League bottom club Aston Villa’s Jordan Ayew has been named January’s African Player of the Month in the English Premier League. He beat off the challenge of Chelsea’s Jon Obi Mikel and West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyate, who were on the shortlist, to win the award.