LETTER TO SAMUEL OKWARAJI

By Oludare Oluwashina Charles (Notes) on Friday, 12 August 2011 at 20:03

Dear Sam,

It is twenty two years you left us but the memories are still fresh in the hearts of Nigerians as the Nation recorded one of her biggest loss in sports.

 Football fans had trooped out in their numbers to the National Stadium, Lagos for the make or mar Italia 90 World cup qualifiers against Angola. Little did they know that you were walking through the valley of death

.

The atmosphere was tense, the spectacle was filled with suspense as Nigerians could not wait to silence the boastful Palancras Negra of Angola who have sworn to sprinkle more salt upon Nigeria’s injury who had lost 1-2 to Gabon, but the Eagles would not give up so cheap as you were ready to do what it takes to wrestle the ticket from perennial rival, Cameroun. Full of energy, nimble footed, you anchored the Eagles midfield that had also  Etim Esim, Bala Ali, and Stephen Keshi dashing forward to pull down the wall of Berlin erected by the Angolans.

Nigerian could not help but watch in tears and agony you bundled away by death as he slumped and died with about 13minutes left to play (77mins). An autopsy later revealed that you died of congestive heart failure. How true? Please do forgive the referee who cautioned you early in the game, your first and only in international football. I guess he was giving you a parting gift. Now, you understand.

Armed with a wig well placed on his head and a gavel of justice in your right hand, you were a linguist extraordinaire as you could speak Igbo, English, Italian, Spanish, German and Yugoslavian fluently, but, who taught you these? You also boast of a first, second and a Master’s degree in International Law from the University of Rome. Not minding his mastery of International Law which the Attorney General of Nigeria then could not boast of, you preffered the soccer boots to erase the notion that the game of football was played only by dropouts, vagabonds, touts and even people with no future ambition. Actively involved in academic pursuits, you still kept alive his dream of being Nigeria's "Michel Platini" and "Brazillian Falcao" who were your soccer role models.

I was told you began football career with AS Roma and later joined Dinamo Zagreb. After a while, you pitched his tent with VFB Stuttgart in Germany. Not long into the contract, you were loaned to SSV-ULM 1848. I also learnt that you mesmerized and tormented opposing defenders that at a point, your club slogan was "NO OKWARAJI, NO ULM”. That’s good of you.

It was not surprising that then that you caught the attention of National team selectors and got the opportunity to play for Nigeria after sending several letters to the Nigeria Football Association without any response. Wait a minute, why didn’t they reply you? With just two matches, you sealed your place in the National team and represented Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations in Morocco in 1988, where you scored one of the fastest goals in the history of the tournament against Cameroun. Yes! I still watched the clips; it was a beauty show glazer. Months later, you played for Nigeria at the Olympic Games in Seoul. Bros, you no dey tire?

So, you were  even the first Nigerian player even to wear dreadlocks in Nigeria? Don’t tell me you imitated Ruud Gullit? But… yet honesty, dedication and accountability were among your invaluable. On numerous occasions, you would pay for your flights to play without asking for refund. Unlike some "bench warmers" in the Super Eagles of today who would hold the whole Nation to ransom over "inflated" flight ticket money and arrogantly insult the intelligence of 120 millions Nigerians. Are you surprised or should I start mentioning their names?

Okwaraji were an emblem of values that the then NFA, a microscopic Nigerian society, needed for development and advancement. You stood out for your patriotism and abiding love for his fatherland. You never shunned a call up to play for Nigeria; Did you hear that Dickson Etuhu refused playing for Nigeria against Ghana even when the match would be played at his backyard? Please don’t say I told you o, else he might bunkum haram me.

My big uncle told me how you would always find your way into National team camp even when not invited for assignment. When it comes to playing for Nigeria, you are ever ready to do what it takes and care not whose ox is gored. He even told me how you charged at your manager for asking Nigeria to pay $45,000 before they would release him for a World Cup qualification match.  Let me remind you what you said (angry) “I am a lawyer, you know, and signed to play football on certain conditions. But I don’t think it included reselling my services to my country. You or the club cannot stop me from playing for my country. Let me tell you, I am going to represent my country at the World Cup in Italy, whether you like it or not. And I would very much like you to be there.”

Even when you were reminded of the implications of charging at your manager in such manner, but the patriotism in you would not let you bulge. Rather, you thundered back (more angry) “I realize that. But this man has no right to talk to you the way he did. I am a Nigerian, and I will die fighting for the dignity of my country.” Haba! Bros eeeeee u too get mouth.

That declaration soon turned out to be prophetic. You laid down your life playing for Nigeria. But what did you get in return? A statue erected in your honour at the entrance of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, which has become more or less an abandoned property since it was duplicated in Abuja. If you see am, you no go like am sef.

 Even if the stadium were in good condition and in regular use, only soccer enthusiasts who go to the stadium to watch matches and a few other Nigerians who have reasons to go there would see the statue and remember you, who died serving the entire Nation with dedication and selflessness, at a time you were writing your thesis for your PhD in International Law. Though, I was still some months old when you died, I will forever acknowledge your contributions to the meteoric growth of football in Nigeria. Don’t mind those thieves at the glass house jare. Shey u hear say we don will Olympic football gold and even attend 4 worlds cup? I wish I could turn back the hands of time but God knows best. Don’t worry; I will name my first son after you…Yes! His name will be Samuel, but if I end up marrying an Ibo girl, I will add Sochukwuma join. Mark my words. I swear.

Before I end this letter, help me advice our Super Eagles with over bloated egos. Tell them what you did and how to do same. Tell them that you left your footprints on the sand of time through hard work. Rest on bros. till we meet across the bridge, where we will have no cause to mourn but laugh and even talk sports. Regards to my friends wey dey there and Grand pa. Hope you dey halla your guys, Marc Vivien Foe, Muda Lawal, Adefemi Olubayo, Haruna Ilerika and so on…abeg help me greet Andres Escobar too. Bye bye.

                                                                                                                                  Yours in sports,
                                                                                                                                  ‘Shina Oludare
                                                                                                                                    (Sports Parrot)

SHEM’S SHOW OF SHAME: A WAKE-UP CALL

By

Clement Adebayo Oloyede

If he had accepted that there is job racketeering in Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) like every other sector, maybe the situation would have died down. Maybe if he had accepted the shame and announce that he did not know his organisation’s website, the matter wouldn’t have attracted this much attention. But as providence will have it the decadence in Nigeria's civil service has been revealed to broad day light by the unpardonable performance of Mr. Obafaiye Shem.

Channels TV website posted that "The Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) Obafaiye Shem has said that he has never visited his organisation’s website. Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr. Shem said the website opened by impostors to defraud unsuspecting job seekers would be automatically closed. Asked to mention the NSCDC’s web address, Mr Shem said ‘I cannot categorically tell you one now.’ Probed further to name the organisation’s website, the commandant said the address is: www.nscdc."

Everyone that has watched the video clip of the interview will find out that Channels TV website actually painted a more modest picture of what Mr. Shem said. In that interview, Mr. Shem inaugurated the now trending topics on Twitter (#MyOgaAtTheTop & #Dazall). To quote him right, he said “I don’t want to tell you one (website) now and my oga at the top will say another thing”. He actually gave the website as ww.nscdc (he cleared his throat as if expecting the interview to continue). When the presenter repeated the website with astonishment, he concluded the website address with ‘.dazall’ as the domain!

His confidence acts as the harbinger to his incompetence. That a top officer in NSCDC will not know the website of the organization he's been working with for years, is a culpable act on its own. But the palpable manner at which that ignorance was delivered will never be forgotten in the history of this country; at least not in the nearest future.

His Facebook page gave him away the more. He (according to the information on his page) is an alumnus of Unilag. People have been asking since the proliferation of the video clip on the internet how on earth he graduated and made it to the post of Commandant.

The manner at which SNSs especially Twitter users have helped to publicize this inglorious show of shame is a sign that the teeming youth are still much concerned about what happens in the country.

"The man sat confidently though not relaxed on a beautiful chair in the studio of channels TV. The average viewer may easily predict, from his countenance that the man is trying to answer a 2million naira question on Frank Edoho’s 'Who wants to be a Millionaire.' He looks nervous but authoritative like every uniform man in Nigeria." That was how Mr. Shem was summed up on a friend's blog.

Unconfirmed web sources have it that Mr Obafaiye Shem, the Lagos Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), (aka My Oga At the Top) has been Suspended by the Internal Affair Ministry. Critics already believe that this move is just a ploy from the government to tell the citizens that they are ‘on top’ of the situation. Citizens are waiting to be proven wrong.

The task before the government now is to purge the decadence in our civil service, maybe the Murtala Muhammad's style of purging should be recalled or maybe another style. The most important and daunting onus now is that the government should not allow this matter to die down like a joke it has become, but should see the reaction that trailed it as a harbinger for a revolution among the youth.

As it stands now, revolution of the mind is ongoing among the technology-conscious youths. I hope the government will correct all these anomalies before the embryonic revolution will metamorphose into 'real' revolution. The government might keep in mind the words of Malcolm X in his 'Ballot or Bullet' speech that “Revolution overturns system ... there is no 'bloodless' revolution. It does not exist anywhere in the world, not even in Hollywood!” We are watching!!!