“One memorable event happened on the 12th of December 1959, the day the Federal Elections was held. At the King George V. Stadium, later rechristened Lagos City Stadium, Nigeria was defeated by Egypt. The heavy defeat in the hands of another African country on her election day was a clear sign of the political trials and storms that was to face Nigeria later. There was a star performer on the Nigeria side. His name was Obi Okoye from Aba. He played out in the defense saving Nigeria from greater disaster from the hands of the ball jugglers from United Arab Republic.”
-See Ebenezer Babatope, Assassination of a Leader
Nigeria: From Gowon to Muhammed, Lagos, 2002 page 5.
Unfortunately, before the final whistle, Obi Okoye broke to pieces his ankle when he collided with the opponents attacking No 9 and he was carried off the field. Nigerians encounters with Egypt over the years explode to the skies, the principles and the major objectives guiding most of the modern nations as they compete in world organized sports. For countries like Cuba, “representing your country is the highest reward for an athlete. no longer do nations go to sports meetings merely to compete. They are there to play and win. Winning extols their system of human organisation, to prove that in the absence of wars or for that matter, in an event of engaging in any war, sports winning nation stands to be respected and avoided, from getting provoked. Yesterday, Egypt, the Pharaohs that worship the Sun god came down at the Asaba Stadium, and everything was at stake. The Super Eagles knew that Egypt is not Seychelles or Tanzania. Whatever, I’m looking beyond Egypt, because 2019 is many years and far away from 1959!
Within these years and beyond, Asaba had seen the Patriarch of the Azinges play for UAC XI in 1924. There were many other Azinges, including the Power house Azinge and his brother who played for the Airways and captained Nigeria XI. Of course, there was Dr. Obiakpani the first blackman to play in the Irish League in 1949 and was able to pay for his medical studies from his football earnings. Asaba was Sydney Asiodu, the Nigerian unforgettable all rounder Olympian who played for Igbobi College and was Game master at Hussey College Warri. There were the immaculate Edozien brothers, Professor Emma Edozien, who as a young man was in his prime in the Primary school Enugu, and at CKC Onitsha. When he landed Lagos his soccer artistry remains evergreen in the archive collections of Obalande’s Gregory College. Like his fine brother “Englishman” Johnny Edozien, football was the colossal loser when the brother master dribblers shunned the jiso leather for the academia.
Asaba stadium before the Governors of Rome banned football in the Anioma area welcomed and hosted Somanazu, Ben “Accident” Okocha and perhaps the greatest Nigerian No 9 point man of all times. Thompson Usiyen, and the late Somnazu and my brother Acid Okocha were all in the legendary Asaba Textile FC. Asbabatex was deliberately denied any government support despite the fact that the team had more players in the national team than Rangers FC, Shooting Stars and Bendel Insurance, at its prime. Before the coming of Okowa, Asaba stadium was hosting nothing, and when I took over as the Delta Sports helmsman, and Fegagbor the whisky Governor gave me orders to play my Challenge Cup finals in Warri. I told that Governor of Rome to keep his Whisky. I’m going to play in Asaba the capital or let the heavens fall! The entire story is part of my seven books of Moses, and specifically for my sports memoires… entitled: Defining Nigeria’s Sports Policy And The Untold Story Of Deltan’s Sports Supremacy.
Enter Dr. Ifeanyi Ekwueme Okowa. Sir, I do not flatter governors. We have posited that Nigeria governors are governors of Rome. You may be one. Otherwise, why are you doling out dollars to these Nigerian players who are ordinary in performance and are presently over-rated and indeed overpaid by their foreign clubs? How much of our money is going to the officials who are monkeying about as their work ethics has not produced any magnificent player. Have you seen Usiyan, Odegbami, Keshi, Chukwu, Onyedika, Fregene, Rufai, Okocha, Kanu in action? Look at these fat players you are wasting our foreign exchange on. Having said that, Governor, you have revived football in this area. Your courageous stamp, finishing up the stadium and going further to establish Asaba as the latest Mecca of football in Africa would prolong lives in the capital city. Your Excellency, please bring back Asaba Delta Queens to the capital. Order that no illiterate contractor builds inside the college and schools fields, denying us countless football and athletic fields that have stayed with us since the colonial period. When the history of Nigeria’s football is written, Ifeanyi, Ekwueme Okowa’s Chapters would be constructed in climatic episodes and those historians and artists would write and paint in gold your work, exceptional contributions to mankind, to seal the tides of civilisation.