Samuel Okwaraji
Last
Wednesday made it 26 years since Samuel Okwaraji died while playing for
Nigeria but his memory still lingers on in the minds of Nigerians, who
praise him for his patriotism and selfless service to the nation during
his short spell with the national team, reports ARUKAINO UMUKORO
Dateline: August 12, 1989. Having lost
2-1 to Gabon in the previous match, the Italia ’90 World Cup qualifier
between the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) and Angola was a crucial
match for the Eagles.
It was supposed to be Samuel Okwaraji’s
grand entrance into the world football stage. Indeed, it was the first
time he would be playing in front of the vociferous Lagos fans. And they
filled the National Stadium, Surulere, to capacity, ready to watch
their football maestro.
The player also knew the task ahead and
he was poised to thrill the fans with his dribbling skills and also help
Nigeria beat the visitors.
“If I play this match, the whole world will know me,” Okwaraji told his roommate, Ademola Adeshina, on the morning of the match.
But the occasion turned out to be his
last dance on the world stage. He slumped on the pitch 10 minutes to the
end of the match against the Angolans. Autopsy revealed he died of
congenital heart failure.
Adeshina told SUNDAY PUNCH,
“It took me several years to understand the meaning of that statement.
It was like he knew something was going to happen to him. We came
together from Belgium for the match and he was my roommate at Sheraton
Hotel on that fateful day. It was a bad day, a sad day for me but I
thank God for his soul.”
Eagles won the match 1-0 courtesy of a
Stephen Keshi goal. But they lost the final qualifier gainst Cameroon’s
Indomitable Lions in Yaounde 1-0 and thus failed to qualify for the 1990
World Cup in Italy.
Stakeholders believe that August 12,
1989, was a defining moment of the Eagles’ 1990 World Cup hopes, not the
team’s defeat in Yaounde.
This belief stems from the demise of
Okwaraji, who was regarded as the country’s most dedicated player at the
time. To them, the Eagles’ World Cup hopes died with Okwaraji on August
12.
“It was his dream to lead Nigeria to her first ever FIFA World Cup,” his elder brother, Patrick, said.
Sadly, Okwaraji’s dreams also died with
him. When Nigeria eventually qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1994
for the first time ever, the dreadlocked player was long gone.
On the eve of the anniversary, Nigeria
Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, spoke to Jane, Okwaraji’s
mother on the telephone.
“Mama, there is nothing I can say other
than to tell you to continue to take solace in the fact that Sochukwuma
(Okwaraji) was a star for Nigeria, a name that no one has been able to
forget no matter how much they tried. He was the quintessential
professional and patriot per excellence.
“Sochukwuma will continue to be in our
hearts and consciousness. He was a rare gem. I assure you that the NFF
will continue to keep in touch with you,” he said.
Pinnick recalled that as a young boy, he
was at the National Stadium to watch the big match only to return home
with a heavy heart after news broke of Okwaraji’s tragic departure.
“It was a horrible day, for someone like
me and several other Nigerians who were right inside the National
Stadium that day. Okwaraji was a consummate professional and was a
shining example of patriotic fervor,” he said.
On Wednesday, the portrait of the late midfielder was displayed round the eight venues of the Federation Cup quarter finals.
In fact, since he made his debut for the
Eagles against Algeria on January 30, 1988 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
Stadium, Enugu, in a Seoul 1988 Olympic Games qualifier, Okwaraji showed
a high level of patriotism and dedication. He saw every opportunity to
play for Nigeria as a call to duty.
The Nigeria Football Association, then
led by Group Captain John Obakpolor (retd), were willing to pay his
club, SSV-ULM 1848, $15,000 just to have him represent his fatherland.
This was from the initial $45,000 his club had requested.
Though his career was brief, Okwaraji
shone like a shooting star. He mesmerised Nigerians with his humility,
football charm and skills on the pitch, and his patriotism and
dedication to serve his fatherland.
He played eight games for Nigeria, and
scored once, the fastest goal in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations. The
group stage match against Cameroon was just 89 seconds old when Okwaraji
hammered in a scorcher past Joseph-Antoine Bell, in goal for the
Indomitable Lions.
He went on to represent Nigeria at the Seoul Olympics same year.
Patrick is still coming to terms with the death of his younger brother. “He was just 25,” he said sadly.
For 77 minutes during that ill-fated
match, Patrick, recollected that he followed every move his younger
brother made on the pitch, like an admirer follows the moves of a
skillful ballerina on stage. “He was very classy on the ball,” Patrick
recollected with fondness. “We were very close too.”
He told SUNDAY PUNCH that he
could remember the moment Okwaraji slumped on the pitch, and how he
rushed down from the VIP box straight to the clinic to see his brother.
He went blank when he was informed of his death.
Okwaraji was born on May 19, 1964. But
he had achieved so much in so short a time. He already had bagged a
master’s degree in Law from the University of Rome, was undergoing his
Ph.D thesis, and was fluent in four foreign languages.
“He was passionate about football, just
as he was about law. If he had been alive, he would have become one of
the best lawyers in the world, and he was patriotic and dedicated to the
cause of his fatherland. As much as possible, he wanted to serve
Nigeria well by giving his best,” Patrick said.
In the end, he also gave his life on the
pitch. The late player’s patriotism is what young Nigerian sportsmen
and women should emulate, Patrick noted.
He said, “That is what we call
dedication; that’s why he is still seen as a role model. People like him
inspire younger ones by their legacy. This is why he is well respected.
His legacy speaks for him and encourages the younger ones. All the
reports in the media are because of his patriotism, and people
appreciate it. That is what our young ones should copy. There were
several occasions when he wanted to make sacrifices, not just the issue
with his club. The reports are everywhere. His records are there for
everyone to see.”
However, while the late Okwaraji was
accorded a state burial, Patrick lamented that Nigeria has not done
enough to immortalise his younger brother, save for the bust of statue
in front of the National Stadium, Lagos.
The statue, which was erected several
years after the death of Okwaraji, is seen by many as an afterthought by
the footballing authorities.
Patrick noted that despite the faded
glory of the once iconic stadium, Okwaraji’s memory would remain
eternal. But he hoped that more would be done to preserve his legacy, so
that young Nigerian sportsmen and women would know that it was worth
giving their best for their country.
“I don’t think they’ve done enough (to
immortalise Okwaraji). I think something better should be done for him,
than just the statue, and we all know what is proper. I’m not in the
position to tell them what to do. The legislators who raised the issue,
know about this. We have learned men and women who have asked for this.
Government knows what is right to do. If you recall, someone raised a
motion in the House (of Representatives).”
Truly, over two decades later, Okwaraji
is still remembered in the pantheons of the greats, the hall of fame of
Nigeria’s best footballers.
He said, “He would have made a brilliant
lawyer and a fantastic footballer. Who knows, maybe he would have
helped Nigeria win many Africa Cup of Nations titles and probably the
World Cup.”
Okwaraji, many Nigerians believe, was a
star that shone brightly, even though it was for a brief period. They
also hold the view that the fallen midfield maestro’s passion and
patriotism has lit the way for other footballers to shine.
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