ZIK OF AFRICA

By Godwin Eigbe

Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe was a visionary leader whose philosophy of African liberation – Zikism, endeared him to many in Africa and the world beyond. His intellect, logic and intense love for his motherland drew great admiration for his person. Zik’s philosophy had in consideration five concepts for Africa’s movement towards freedom, and these were spiritual balance, social regeneration, economic determination, mental emancipation and political resurgence. His motto was simple: talk I listen; you listen I talk.

EARLY LIFE

Nnamdi was born in Zungeru in present Niger State on November 16, 1904. He had his elementary study in Zungeru and spoke Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba Languages. He was educated at christian mission schools which include the Roman Catholic and Church Missionary Society’s Anglican Missions at Onitsha, Wesley Boys High School Lagos and Hope Waddell Training Institute in Calabar.

EDUCATION

Great Zik was a voracious reader who had insatiable quest for knowledge and this saw him in 1925 at age 21 in the United States of America where he enrolled at Storer College, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. From there against all odds; poverty, depression, racial discrimination and hostility of some White folks, Zik matriculated to Howard University in Washington D.C. An offer of steady on-campus job led him to Lincoln University where he graduated with a degree in Political Science. He also obtained a certificate in Journalism at Columbia University in 1930 before going back to Lincoln University where he again bagged an M.A. in Political Science.

In 1931 Nnamdi wrote his first book: LIBERIA IN WORLD POLITICS and it marked the beginning of his literary life. But he was not done with education yet. In 1932 he moved on to the University of Pennsylvania where he earned an M.Sc with honours in Anthropology.

JOURNALSM CAREER

Zik returned to Africa in 1934 and was employed as editor of the Africa Morning Post, an Accra Newspaper owned and published by I. T. Wallace Johnson of Sierra Leone. Here his pro-Africa nationalist interest was fanned into flame and for three years edited the Morning Post. In his articles and public statements he censured the existing colonial order, the restrictions on Africans’ rights and racial discrimination. However after he narrowly escaped prison over the publication of an article the then British Administration termed ‘treasonous’, Zik returned to Nigeria in 1937 to pursue both  journalism and commercial interests and he excelled in both. He founded the Zik Group of Newspapers, publishing multiple newspapers of which the West African Pilot was one. These he used as vehicles to foster Nigerian Nationalism and struggle for independence.

POLITICAL CAREER

In the political front he is regarded by many as a champion of African nationalism and master of compromise in Nigeria’s turbulent politics. He co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in 1944 with Herbert Macaulay. He was elected to the Legislative Council of Nigeria in 1947 and in 1954 became Premier of Nigeria’s Eastern Region. On November 16, 1960, he became Governor General and was same day named to the Queen’s Privy Council. When Nigeria became a Republic in 1963 he became the first President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister.

DEATH AND MEMORIAL

At age 91 in May 1996, the politician, scholar, poet, journalist and first-rank red cap chief joined his ancestors. His legacies however bear witness to a hero of our nation’s past and would never be forgotten. His memory has been imortalised across the country and by various governments since the second republic. Today his face adorns the N500 bill and many remarkable places have been named after him. These include the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja,  

THE MAN ABRAHAM LINCOLN

By Godwin Eigbe

Born into poverty 200 years ago in a one-room log cabin on the 12^th of February, 1809 in Hardin County Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln conquered poverty, failures and defeats to become the 16^th president of the United States of America. With an irrepressible spirit he matched unswerving for the actualization of his dreams. He was an epitome of hard work, one for whom the saying that ‘hard work doesn’t kill but makes you stronger’ holds true.

 Lincoln was the only child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks and his formal education consisted only about 18 months of schooling but he was an avid reader and was largely self-educated. His path to Presidency was not rosy but relentlessly he staged his match willing to try every way that seem good and reasonable to him. On this journey he lost eight elections before he was elected President of the United State in 1860. As he once put it, “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep doing so”

At age 22 in 1831, young Lincoln left his parents in Coles County Illinois and struck out on his own. He canoed down the Sangamon River to the village of New Salem in Sangamon County and was hired by Denton Offutt a New Salem businessman for whom Lincoln ferried goods from New Salem to New Orleans via flat boats. Later Denton made Lincoln his clerk at the store in New Salem and he did a good job at the store for some months before Denton over-extended himself financially and ran the business to the ground. Thus by the Spring of 1832 Lincoln had lost his job.

Unflinching Lincoln ventured into politics and ran unsuccessfully for the Illinois State Legislature as a member of the Whig Party. This failure did not in anyway undo him. Doggedly he matched on and later that year he served as a captain in an Illinois Volunteer Militia Company in the Black Hawk War. Lincoln never gave up trying for he was a staunch believer in the counsel that failure is a stepping stone to success. Unfaltering he ran again for the State Legislature in 1834 and won, securing the second-highest vote in a field of thirteen candidates where those with the four highest votes became legislators. While in the legislature, Lincoln came across the ‘Commentaries on the Laws of England’ which ignited his passion for law and forthwith, he started to study Law.

In1835 at age 26, Lincoln lost his sweetheart – Miss Ann Rutledge. Her death was said to have affected him profoundly. Few months later he had a nervous breakdown but pulled through to campaign for a seat at the Illinois State Legislature and was re-elected. The State’s Supreme Court licensed him to practice law in 1837 and same year he made his first protest against slavery in the Illinois House; stating that the institution was founded on both injustice and bad policy. He later teamed up with John T. Stuart at Springfield, Illinois to practice. He had a reputation as a formidable adversary during cross-examinations and in closing arguments and with these he became successful.

However his days of defects and setbacks were not over. In 1838 – 1839 legislative sessions, Lincoln’s bid for the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives failed. This for Lincoln was not a loss to grieve about. He concentrated his effort on his legislative duties and in 1840 was returned to the House. By 1841, he joined a new partner, William Herndon who was his fellow Whig Party member in his law practice.

In 1843 Lincoln recorded another defeat as he failed to get nominated to run for the United States Congress at the May 1843 Whig District Convention. Thereafter he channeled his energy to his law practice and became famous for his accomplishments as an advocate. At the age of 37 in 1846 he made another try for Congress, got nominated and also won the election. He however could not return to Congress in 1848 as a result of an agreement reached by the Whig Party for Members to serve one term and give others the opportunity to hold public offices. Lincoln then sought appointment as a Commissioner for the General Land Office, a federal position but was not favoured by the Interior Secretary in 1849.

Lincoln’s dream to be a U.S. Senator failed in 1854 when he fell six votes short of the requisite majority vote and two years later in 1856 he lost a nominal election for Vice President at the Philadelphia Republican Convention. As though these were not enough, he again lost a second bid for the Senate in 1858. Characteristic of his indefatigable nature, Abraham Lincoln summed it this way: “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failures.” Lincoln was convinced that real failure comes only when you give up on your dreams and aspirations.

In 1860 at the age of 51, Lincoln against all odds, took a shot at the number one seat in America and got nominated on the platform of the Republican Party and in the general elections defeated Stephen Douglas, a Northern Democrat to whom he had lost his Senate bid, John Bell of the Constitutional Party and John Breckinridge of the Southern Democratic Party to be elected President. His success rolled on to 1864 when he ran under the National Union Party’s banner and in a land slide victory was returned President for a second term.

As President of the United States, Lincoln fought to preserve the Union and defeated the Confederate States in the American Civil War which devastated the country from 1861 to 1865. In his fight against slavery, Lincoln issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.

No man is ever loved by all. Many in Southern America at the time saw Lincoln as a tyrant as he blatantly refused to compromise on his stand on slavery. On Good Friday, April 14, 1865 at the Ford’s Theatre Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor. 

This article as written by Godwin Eigbe was first published in Executive Travels Nigeria magazine, issue No. 19, 2010

PROFESSOR GRACE ALELE -WILLIAMS – A TRAILBLAZER

BY GODWIN EIGBE

At a time in Nigeria when women were led to believe that the most they can achieve is to be a wife and a mother, a child was born. She was named Grace Alele.Born on December 16,1932 she grew up to become not only a wife and a mother but also the first female Vice-Chancellor in Nigeria  thereby proving wrong the earlier held belief.

Her story is one that inspires and draws awe. Professor Grace Alele-Williams had her early education at Government School, Warri between 1939 and 1949 and Queens College, Lagos between 1945 and 1949.She then moved on to the University College (presently University of Ibadan) for her first degree between 1949 and 1954.She was amongst the second set of students at the University and was also one out of the ten girls in that set. For the next three years, she taught mathematics at Queen’s School, Ede Osun State.

With financial assistance from the Nigerian Head of Service, she left for the USA to teach and study at the University of Vermont as a graduate assistant between 1957 and 1959. Bored by the cold weather, the segregation in the rural setting and America’s re-evaluation of its science curriculum at that time due to the perceived Russian scientific threat, she moved to the University of Chicago in 1959 and obtained her PhD in Mathematics education in 1963 thereby becoming the first Nigerian woman to be awarded a doctorate.

Her coming back to Nigeria in 1963 was not with the proud head of being the first Nigerian woman to be awarded a doctorate but it was with the big idea of revolutionizing the teaching of Mathematics in Nigeria. Having seen the revolution work in America, she was convinced that the same idea will work in her country.

Starting in Ibadan where she was based as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, she worked with Grade II teachers in a programme popularly referred to as train the trainer. She extended the programme to Lagos and Benin. In 1965, she joined the University of Lagos and was able to convince the Ministry of Education in Lagos about the programme.By then she was working with about 100 teachers who were expected to go back to their respective schools to train their own teachers. The programme went beyond Nigeria to other African countries like Kenya and Uganda though later she concentrated the programme on West Africa.

The execution of her plans was not without hitches here and there. For example, the concept she developed was to go beyond training the teachers to changing the Mathematics curricula in Nigeria. This meant that the textbooks being used would have to be re-written. However, the three major publishing companies in Nigeria were not taken in by the idea since according to them; they had invested so much capital in re-writing their Mathematics textbooks.

Even though the textbook ‘Modern Mathematics’ was eventually published, she was to face another obstacle. The then Minister of Education under General Obasanjo’s regime, Ahmadu Alli announced the ban of the use of the textbook in schools. His reason was that the textbook confused teachers and students.

But did all these stop her from pursuing her vision? Of course not. In her own words, ‘I grieved for some time…, then picked myself up, dusted myself and continued my work’. Though the textbook was banned, she continued working with the teachers and she also wrote papers on her works. It was her work in this area that earned her a professorship in 1974 making her the first female Professor of Mathematics Education in Nigeria.

Between 1965 and 1985, she taught at the University of Lagos and directed affairs at the University’s Institute of Education where she introduced innovative non degree programmes to benefit teachers. Many of the certificate recipients were older women working as elementary school teachers.

In 1985 under the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, she was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin.However; she had the option of turning down the offer since as of then there was no woman VC for her to learn the ropes from. But she accepted the position thereby becoming the first female Vice Chancellor of any African University.

In a 2004 interview she granted to THISDAY online, she says about her appointment: ‘The excitement I felt on receiving the news from Professor Jubril Aminu (the then Minister of Education) had more to do with seeing it in terms of opening up the field for women than anything else’. The appointment for her was an opportunity to show that women can handle such top positions and also deliver on them. She was also aware of the high expectations of the womenfolk and was therefore not prepared to fail.

           

Though many people applauded her appointment, some others were not happy and meanings were read into every action she took as the VC perhaps because she was a woman and some people felt she had invaded their turf. She was called different names and some saw her as an outsider imposed on them by the military junta while others simply said she was unqualified for the job.

All these accusations did not weigh her down to the point of not doing her duty. Her credentials were enough to tell everyone including her accusers that she was qualified for the job but she was not going to let only her credentials speak for her. She went to work. By the end of her second term, the voices accusing her had been silenced.  The physical structures built during her administration spoke for her. They include the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge, Bursary and Administration Block, Faculty of Law and College of Medical Sciences.

At the end of her second tenure in 1991, she did not retire but returned to the University of Lagos. She later became a director in Chevron Nigeria and also headed a committee at the Nigerian University Commission. Professor Alele-Williams was a member of the National Planning Commission. Throughout these periods, she continued with her researches and went on presenting papers and her profile continued to rise.

           

This 77 years old mother of five and grandmother to six is not resting but continues to seek avenues through which women can be educated on various subjects. Her drive stems from her belief that one cannot live a fulfilled life unless you add to someone else’s joy, comfort and security.

Whereas others would have been satisfied being just average, Professor Grace Alele-Williams decided that the very  top was for her and she went about working hard to achieve just that and in doing that became a trailblazer.

JAY JAY OKOCHA: A LIVING LEGEND

BY GODWIN EIGBE

The saying that football is all about goals is a common expression in the world of soccer and every footballer trains for it, strives for it and many do so with great assertiveness and aggression thereby turning the green grass to a battle ground. Those on the defensive side will do anything to stop an attacker even if it means pushing knee caps or ankles out of place. Those on the attacking side will use every trick and turn to dribble and wobble while trying to hit the back of the net.

However from one generation to the next, players who drive the round leather further than just scoring goals have emerged seeking to give the game a new definition. They bring life to the game by making it exciting and entertaining and wherever they played, the crowd sings one song as the line of club or nation, race or colour are broken and together they celebrate their heroes. On this line up is Edison Arantes do Nascimento best known as Pelé from Brazil, Diego Maradona from Argentina, Ronaldo from Brazil, Zinedine Zidane from France, Abédi Pelé from Ghana, Luís Figo from Portugal and Augustine Okocha from Nigeria. Each of these men was unique in his way and whenever they played it mattered not whose side was winning or losing spectators were bond by the thrill and excitement. These great footballers belonged to the world from the moment the spotlight shone on them. Jay Jay Okocha was celebrated as one of the best, became a household name across the world but was never crowned by FIFA or CAF.

Born on August 14, 1973 in Enugu Nigeria, Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is the third son to the Okochas from Ogwashi Ukwu in Delta State and according to a one time Sports Editor with the Vanguard Newspaper, the family is a football family with three of the brothers suffering from a “deep tyranny of talents”. Growing up in Enugu Jay Jay as he is fondly called, developed deep love for football and would seize every opportunity to play with his mates or simply toss the ball alone. Early football games in his life were mostly on the streets and anything soft enough to be kicked around would hold for a ball.

Austin Okocha was not a regular in his class. He was extra-ordinarily gifted and could manipulate the ball and his opponents at will. He was one player who believed football should be enjoyed right on the field of play and by fans watching. Jay Jay joined Rangers in 1990 at age 16 and with deep passion for the sport he pushed his way from an obscured rookie to become an International star, a darling to soccer fans across the world. He was spectacular and his performance was greatly applauded while playing for the Rangers side. Okocha however was not to be with them for long. He went visiting his brother in Germany and did not return to Rangers.

In Germany, Jay Jay was given the opportunity to train with his brother’s team. After an amazing and highly impressive performance the Germans offered him a shirt with Eintracht Frankfurt in 1992. It was while at Frankfurt that Okocha exploded and the Okocha mania became a universal hit. Back then in Germany he became the people’s football idol and even politicians exploited this position to their advantage. The Mayor of Frankfurt at a time was losing elections until he enlisted the help of Jay Jay to go with him on a few days round the city campaign. The presence of Okocha as envisaged saved the election and the Mayor was returned by the electorate who could not do otherwise but align with their playmaker.

He remained at Frankfurt till 1996 when he joined the Turkish giants Fenerbahçe. In a total of 60 appearances at the club, Okocha amassed 30 goals and was part of the squad that defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League group stage.

In 1998 Paris Saint Germain (PSG) splashed about $24 million on him to pull him from Fenerbahçe, which made him the most expensive Africa player at the time. After four years in France, Okocha joined Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, leaving PSG in the summer of 2002. Despite injury problems in his debut season with Bolton, he steered the team away from relegation. This earned him the captain’s armband in the next season following Guðni Bergsson’s retirement. As Bolton’s captain Okocha led the team to their first cup final in nine years and they finished runners-up in the 2004 Football League Cup.

Jay Jay Okocha’s presence in Bolton Wanderers remains an indelible part of the club’s history for he did not only lead them away from relegation but took the club to the league of top European clubs. The club and its supporters celebrated Okocha so much that all fans T-shirts were printed with his name on them. They wrote “Jay Jay so good they named him Twice” The people of Bolton, the Political and Academic Institutions saw Okocha even after his exit from the club as one of their greatest Ambassador.  After the 2006 season, Jay Jay moved to Qatar where he spent just one season before returning to England to sign up with Hull City in 2007. His career with Hull City was short for he retired after the club was promoted to Premiership in 2008.

Augustine Jay Jay Okocha had a long record on the international scene playing for Nigeria. For 13 years he was the play maker in Nigeria football and all over Africa Jay Jay became a household name. He made his official debut for his country in May 1993 during the FIFA World Cup 1994 Qualifiers away match against Ivory Coast. By his second appearance in a must win match against Algeria, Okocha became a favourite with Nigerian supporters. With Nigeria trailing behind Algeria 0-1, Okocha scored the equalizing goal through a direct free kick which became one of his trademarks and helped the team to a 4-1victory which secured their qualification to Nigeria’s first World Cup appearance.

Jay Jay Okocha was at the centre of the Super Eagles success in their 1994 Africa Cup of Nations outing and the World Cup 1994 where they made it to second round before losing to Italy. In 1996 Okocha was part of what is today adjudged Nigeria’s most successful side, the Olympic gold winning side at the Atlanta Olympic Games. With the exit of Sunday Oliseh from the Super Eagles after the Africa Nations Cup in 2002, in which Nigeria finished third Jay Jay Okocha became captain of the Nigeria senior team. As captain he led the Nigerian Side to the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan. They played in the ‘group of death’ alongside Argentina, Sweden and England and could not make it to the next round. Okocha also led the Super Eagles to a third place finish in the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia. His displays all through the tournament were breathtaking and he scored four goals including a spectacular free kick against Cameroon in the quarter finals. Notably in the tournament also was the 1000^th goal in Nations Cup history which he scored against South Africa. He won the player of the tournament and jointly, the Golden boot.

In 2006, the playmaker announced his retirement from international football which took effect after the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. However injury prevented him from featuring in any of the Nigeria’s opening fixtures. His final international appearance was in a 2-1 victory against Senegal in a third place play off. As he left the field, he was given a standing ovation by the over 60,000 spectators watching the match live in Egypt.    

His testimonial match was held in Warri Delta State with the Super Eagles playing against an African selected side. The game featured former players Daniel Amokachi, Aloysius Agu and John Fashanu and current players Benjani and Sulley Muntari. The Super Eagles won 2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal when he appeared on their side in the second half.

Okocha despite his great talent and skills and the fact he is celebrated all over the world never won the African player of the year. In 1998 Okocha came close but was placed second behind Mustapha Hadji of Morocco. In 2003 he was again second this time running behind Samuel Eto’s of Cameroon. The following year he was again nominated alongside Samuel Eto’s and Didier Drogba and Eto’s again picked the crown.

Though on the FIFA 100, a list of the best 125 living players nominated by Pelé of Brazil Okocha was never nominated for the FIFA Number One. He was the only Nigerian on the list and one of seven Africans and Asian players listed. This may seem a tall dream but fans have continued to argue that were Okocha born in Europe or in the South Americas he would definitely had secure the world’s number one. Others believe that the Clubs he played affected his career that instead of moving to top clubs to shine he spent his career building relegated clubs and pushing them to the fore front in their various leagues.

Jay Jay got married to Nkechi in 1994 and they are blessed with two children, Danielle and A-jay. In his bid to impact the lives of young Nigerians, Okocha has signed a contract with the University of Bolton to offer scholarships to enterprising students from Nigeria to study in Bolton. In 2009, ten scholarships worth £2,000 each were awarded to young Nigerians and representatives of the University of Bolton were in Nigeria to issue on the spot offers and discuss the scholarship opportunities.

Patriotism is better expressed in the things we do and more importantly those that seek the good of others around us. This gesture by Jay Jay Okocha is worthy of emulation by all Nigerians who truly believe in Father’s Land. Jay Jay might not have been crowned but his legend shall be told many years to come after many crowns have fallen and their tales forgotten.

HAVE WE SEEN THE LAST OF TIGER WOODS

BY GODWIN EIGBE

The world's history is fraught with the rising and falling of great men. Many left the centre stage gallantly while others in the agony of a mighty fall.

Some children are born with silver spoons but one child came with a golf club in his hand which since his teenage years has amassed a fortune for him. He is Eldrick Tont ‘Tiger’ Woods an American professional golfer born 34 years ago to Earl and Kultida Woods on December 30, 1975. He ranks among the most successful golfers of all time. But how and where did it all begin for the Tiger?

Eldrick Tont Woods acquired the nick name ‘Tiger’ from a Vietnamese soldier friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, who was attracted to the young man’s tenacity to golf and his undying enthusiasm and vigour at getting it right at a tender age.

Tiger Woods in his childhood was an exceptional child prodigy. He was reported to watch his father keenly at six months while Earl was playing golf and started playing at the age of two. In 1978, Tiger putted against a popular American comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. From there his enthusiasm for golf grew tremendously and at the age of three, he shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California, a great feat for a child of his age and was highly commended by pros in the golf world. But for young Tiger, it was just the beginning for the golf club never left his hand.

The development of the child Tiger on the golf course continued to amaze the world for at age five; he was featured in Golf Digest a specialized golf magazine in the United States of America and on an ABC Channel programme called That’s Incredible. In 1984 at the age of nine he won the 9-10 boys’ event which was the youngest age category available at the Junior World Golf Championships.

Tiger Woods was greatly inspired by his father who mentored him in the early years of his career and while growing up under his tutelage in Orange County California, Tiger went on to win the Junior World Championships six times picking it consecutively from 1988 to 1991. From this point onward, his nickname Tiger gained popularity and soon Eldrick and Tont, his American and Thai names respectively were forgotten. At the age of 15 in 1991 while attending Western High School in Anaheim, Woods became the youngest ever U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, Southern California Amateur Player of the year for the second conservative time and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player. Same year, he competed in his first Play Golf America (PGA) Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the year, Golf World Player of the year and Golf Week National Amateur of the year. Woods’ string of success was greatly hailed all over the world for he was simply amazing. He had no joy in tying previous records he simply broke them.

Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 1993 and remains the event youngest ever and only multiple winner. By 1994 when he graduated from Western High School in Anaheim, Woods became the youngest ever winner of the US Amateur Championship a record that stood till 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee. That same year Woods was a member of the American Team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships and the 1995 Walker Cup. Later that year he enrolled at Stanford University to study Economics and there he won his first collegiate event; the William Tucker Invitational. Wherever he went, Woods was a winner. In 1995 he defended his U.S Amateur title and was voted Pac 10 Player of the year. At age 20 in 1996, he became the first golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles and won the NCAA individual golf championship. After two years he left college and turned professional, but his sun was only just rising.

In August of 1996, Woods signed an endorsement worth $40 million with Nike and another $20million with Titlist and entered the world of professional golf when he played at the Greater Milwaukee Open and tied for 60^th place. He however went on to win two events in the next three months to qualify for the four championships, which were the U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament. For his efforts that year, Woods was named Sportsman of the year by Sports Illustrated and also won the PGA Tour Rookie of the year. It was on this tour in 1996 he began his tradition of wearing a red shirt during the final round of tournaments, a colour he believes symbolises aggressiveness and assertiveness. Between 1996 and 1998, Woods set a total of 20 Master’s records and tied 6 others. On June 15, 1997 in his 42^nd week as a professional, Woods rose to number one in the official world  golf rankings which is the fastest-ever ascent to World N0. 1. He was named PGA Player of the year 1997 thereby becoming the first golfer to win the award the year following his rookie season.

At 24 he became the youngest golfer to achieve a Career Grand Slam. Of the twenty events he entered in 2000, Woods finished in the top three fourteen times and his scoring average of 68:17 was the lowest in PGA Tour history surpassing the 68.33 average records set by Byron Nelson in 1945. His 2000/2001 Masters victories marked the only time within the era of modern Grand Slam that any player has been the holder of all four major championship titles( U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament) at the same time. This feat is now known as the “Tiger Slam”.

In 2000, he signed a contract extension deal with Nike for $105 million and another $40 million deal with Buick. However, in 2003/2004 season the Tiger of the golf course lost his dominating edge, first he did not win a major in 2003 or 2004 and he fell to second place in PGA Tour money list in 2003 and fourth in 2004. Then in September 2004 his record streak of 264 consecutive weeks (5yrs 4days) as the world‘s No. 1 golfer came to an end momentarily at the Deutsche Bank Championship when Vijay Singh won the championship and overtook Woods in the official world golf rankings. This period is today regarded as the “Woods’ Slump” and it is believed by many commentators and fans that it was because he was working on charging his swing as his former style was causing serious wear and tear on his left knee a condition which  later made him to go for several surgical operations. However the supposed slump was glorious and fulfilling for Woods who has always talked about raising a family, for in November 2003 he became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model and on October 5, 2004 they got married at the Sandy Lane Resort on the Caribbean Island of Barbados.

The 2005 season marked the Woods resurgence and he established his presence by winning the Buick Invitational in January and in March he outplayed Phil Mickelson to win the Ford Championship at Doral. In April he regained his N0. 1. Spot in the world rankings by winning the 2005 Masters Tournaments in a playoff. Vijay Singh and Woods toppled each other several times for the next couple of months for the N0. 1. Position but by his victory at the 2005 Open championship which gave him his 10^th major, Woods secured firmly his No. 1. Position. He also won six official money events on the PGA Tour and again topped the money list for the sixth time in his career.

Tragedy again struck when on May 3, 2006 Woods’ father, mentor and inspiration, Earl Woods died after a long battle with prostate cancer. Woods took nine-week off from the PGA Tour to be with his family. When he returned for the 2006 U.S. Open, the Tiger was out of the woods and he missed his cut at Winged Foot, marking the first time he had missed the cut at a major as a professional. This disappointing return ended his record tying streak of 39 consecutive cuts made at majors. However at the Open Championship same year, Woods returned with dramatic victory with perfect touches to his course management, putting and accuracy with clubs. He surpassed existing records even those set by him in the event. The victory was so emotional for Woods and at the end; he dedicated his play to his father’s memory. In August of 2006 at age 30 he won his 50^th professional tournament at the Buick Open becoming the youngest to do so in golf history. He ended the season by winning six consecutive PGA Tour events and the three most prestigious awards given by the PGA Tour which are the Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Byron Nelson Awards for a 7^th time record. With these victories, Woods closed his first eleven seasons with 54 Professional winnings and 12 major wins, a record which surpassed the all time eleven-season PGA Tour total win record set by Byron Nelson and a total of 11 Majors record set by Jack Nicklaus. This record breaks earned him Associates Press Male Athlete of the Year for a record tying fourth Time.

Woods began his 2007 campaign with a two-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational and this was his third straight win at the event. He became the third man after Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead to win at least five times in three different events on the PGA Tour. The other two events were the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational where he won his record 14^th World Golf Championships and the WGC-CA Championship. He became the first golfer to win same invent three straight times on two different occasions (1999-2001) and (2005-2007).

His dominance and winning streak continued till early part of 2008 season when he went for a third arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and missed two months on PGA Tour. Woods returned for the 2008 U.S Open and beat Rocco Mediate in the final. Woods was hailed to have beaten everybody on one leg. Unfortunately a few days after winning the U.S Open he went for a reconstructive surgery to set the Anterior Cruciate Ligament on his left knee and missed the remainder of 2008 golf season.

After an eight months layoff, The Tiger of the golf course came back to the game and at the Arnold Palmer invitational he defeated O’Hair by one stroke.

He has spent over 10 years as World Number One in his 13 year career. He has been adjudged the highest paid professional athlete in 2007 with estimated earnings of Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Forty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Nine Dollars ($769, 440,709) from 2006 to 2007. He holds a total of 90 titles presently with 68 of them official PGA titles and 22 other Major titles.

On December 5, 2007 Woods was inducted into the California Hall of Fame by California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger at the California Museum for History. Eldrick Tiger Woods marriage with Elin Nordegren has produced two younger woods. The first a girl is Sam Alexis Woods born in Orlando on June 18, 2007 and Charlie Axel Woods a boy born on February 8, 2009. The Woods lived in Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. That was all before the books of revelations and lamentations. My next article explores the new Tiger struggling in the Woods.

The original form of this article without the very last sentence, as written by Godwin Eigbe was first published in EXECUTIVE TRAVELS NIGERIA MAGAZINE, ISSUE NO. 19, 2010.