What is in a date? Nothing sacrosanct, except that some are very significant-bringing good tidings or pains. Indeed, I stay up late reading early morning newspapers on the internet and tracking trending sports stories. This routine has no doubt helped me in news gathering. I love to break news.
Talking about dates, my heart skips anytime I get calls on my telephone in the wee hours. Most times, I try to ignore them. But when the caller is persistent, I pick the calls. Some of the calls bring cheery news from old school mates. But, sadly, most times bad news, such as the death of loved ones.
And so, when my phone rang in the wee hours of June 8, my mind flashed back to the call that broke the news of Osayande Osunde’s death. Osayande, a close friend, former school mates and a great sports enthusiast died on June 7, 2008. Stephen Keshi died also on June 7. But the news hit the world next day, June 8.
Why the Osayande slant? The duo struck an understanding anchored on Osayande’s love for the defunct New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin. Keshi was the team’s captain. I recall how they celebrated the first win NNB had over Bendel Insurance FC Benin in the club’s history. It was a left flank floater from Yamaha (Joseph Egharevba) which Henry Nwosu headed down before rising above the head of a perplexed goalkeeper Haruna Wahab. I remember the NNB crowd, especially Ejiro Omonode. Going to Ogbemudia Stadium was fun, what with the many games we took along to occupy our time before the matches began. Barrister Dudu Orumen, Victor Ebomwonyi, Nosa Omoigui, Peter Nwoko, Osaretin Osunde et al. I remember you all. Indeed, the stadium stuck many of us together and it was fun being teased anytime it was about six days to the local derby. Rains couldn’t stop us from watching games. We came with umbrellas, which also served as walking sticks. Others came with rain coats. Our love was such that the winners didn’t mind dancing if the rain went haywire. It was part of the fun. Trust the blue Demin jeans trousers or shorts to weather the rain.
As we aged, many moved on. But we enjoyed any reunion with fond memories, with everyone feeling his team was the best. When my phone rang and the bad news of Skippo’s death,was broken, my immediate response was why Keshi? Death is a thief. What could have killed Keshi? Was he ill? He didn’t look it. Could it be the effects of those crunchy tackles and nerve-wrenching moments of matches as a player and a coach? Another Muhammad Ali-like after career trauma. I reckoned that Ali lived another 32 years with Parkinson disease. Athletes suffer a lot to maintain their fitness levels. Oh, why Keshi, I retorted. But the news gathering instinct in me overshadowed what was clearly a major calamity because I wanted to have an exclusive report when it dawned on me that Keshi had died.
I must add that Keshi was a strong fellow, not with the loss of easily his biggest admirer Olu Lawal, three years ago in Benin City. Lawal could do anything for Keshi, which the Big Boss appreciated. In fact, Lawal would have been the happiest man, had he lived to see the Super Eagles lift the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013. Lawal and Keshi were like Siamese twins. I recall speaking with Keshi after Lawal died and his response was a deep thank you, from a troubled heart. Such was their closeness. Sleep well, Olu Lawal.
I remember meeting Keshi again in Mike Itemuagbor’s office at Lekki, where we relived the good old days. He remembered everything. Old boy, you sef no dey forget things o, he would say. On that day, Keshi talked about his desire to coach the Super Eagles. But he was worried by the bad publicity occasioned by what he did as a player and captain. He said those things were in the past and that he had turned a new leaf.
Itemuagbor was listening. I offered to interview Keshi in The Nation. Keshi retorted: “Which newspaper is The Nation? Ade you too waka o! No bi Thisday again?
I laughed and told Keshi all the places he had gone in the course of playing football. We all laughed. Keshi kept the appointment. It did the magic because he called to say that people in high places were pushing his case to get the Eagles job. He got the job and offered me the chance to manage his media. I declined and told him that he could find younger boys for that. We remained friends even though I hit him when things were not looking well with the Eagles. After all a coach is as good as his last game. The business of coaching is about hiring and firing of sloppy soccer teams. Show me a coach who has not been sacked?
One thing about Keshi was that if he interfaced with you, he would be the first to walk up to you to say hi. Such was his openness, even though he was an independent person. He did things on conviction and wasn’t afraid to tell you his mind, if he felt disappointed, like he usually said.
Keshi and I had our good and bad times in the course of doing our jobs. I told him when I called to console him after his wife died that my “case” was like his when he picked players for matches. He retorted: “Old boy na true you talk for that one o! I no dey look face o! I wan win, but Ade, you for call me na. You be my brother, nobi so?
I deliberately started my conversation with Keshi on telephone with prayers for the respose of his wife’S soul. That done, he asked, abeg, no vex, na who bi this o?
When I announced my name, trust Keshi, he said: “Old boy na wa for you o! It has taken my wife’s death for you to call me. Life isn’t like that.
I apologised. I told him that I had been calling. Perhaps, he didn’t store my number. I reminded him that I had his numbers since late 1999 when he came for the Eagles job with Johannes Bonfrere. He invited me thereafter to Togo but I never made it. The best I did was to send someone (Desmond Ekwueme of the defunct National Interest to interview Keshi, after breaking the story that he had taken the Togolese job.
After our frank talk, Keshi promised to call me with my number that he had and did that almost immediately. He wept over the phone while recounting what his wife went through. Friendship rekindled, we spoke several times. But this time, I didn’t report what we discussed since old things had passed away.
I’m glad that I made peace with Keshi. He left this world a fulfilled man, which is all that we desire. Sun re o, Olubodun tio te ri Stephen Okechukwu Chinedu Keshi.
The alias Olubodun tio teri was given to Keshi by the late Mudashiru Babatunde Lawal, a soccer giant in his own right. If you called Keshi Olubodun tio teri, he would know how far back you knew him. He cherished the alias Olubodun tio teri (the one who is never disgraced).
Wake up, Siasia
Samson Siasia is an interesting character. He likes listening to himself even when he is enmeshed in a pit. He is a lucky guy but it appears he is pushing his luck too far with the way he is setting up the Nigerian soccer team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Siasia deludes himself with the theory that he can pick any set of 23 players to shine in big competitions. What he doesn’t understand with this Olympic team is that the countries contending for the gold medal in soccer are coming with more or less their current senior national teams. And that would be the shocker for Siasia in Rio, if he doesn’t shelve his selfish acts for national goals.
Put simply, Nigeria has the players to win the soccer gold medal in Brazil but Siasia is their biggest problem, with the kind of selection he makes. It is instructive to remind Siasia that his assistant Fatai Amoo led a make-shift side to beat their Brazilian counterparts in Rio while he was busy with the Super Eagles assignment. Amoo’s boys and indeed those who clinched the qualification ticket for Nigeria by lifting the U-23 Africa Cup should serve as the nucleus of his team in these preparation matches. Not the sickening choices he made to the Suwon tournament. My angst here is that NFF chieftains are watching helplessly as Siasia presses the self-destruct button of this team that should form the spine of the Nigeria senior soccer side to the 2018 World Cup. NFF chiefs must stop Siasia’s indiscriminate choice of players, when he has a winning team which he should strengthen with quality players, such as Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho et al not those he took to Suwon.
Siasia needs help, having bungled the friendly in Suwon with the disgraceful 6-2 loss to Demark, the 1-0 loss to Korea and the scrappy 3-1 victory over Honduras after conceding an early goal. Nigerian teams fumble when the coaches fail to pick our best like Siasia has just done. And rather than apologise, he is busy blaming everyone but himself.
Few weeks ago, Siasia spent quality time in England discussing with players he wanted to fill the over-age category. From the pictures he took in England, it seemed he had settled for John Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa. One was, therefore, shocked when Siasia left the matter hanging, with less than 90 days to the Olympics. What does the coach? Haven’t others have named theirs?
Siasia should learn to take responsibility for his actions. After all, the players played according to his instructions. He picked boys he thought fitted his mentality of how the game should be played.