Air Peace CEO Allen Onyema has been in the news lately for different reasons- from airlifting stranded Nigerians from different hotspots across Africa with the latest being from the civil war-torn Sudan as well as his stance on the Nigeria Air imbroglio. The University of Ibadan-trained lawyer and serial businessman here shares his days as a school boy athlete and why Nigeria’s sporting heroes should never be forgotten, Oluwamayomikun Orekoya reports.
Allen Onyema is a man of many facets- a lawyer, an astute business man, an entrepreneur, a humanitarian, a philanthropist and a sportsman.
As a philanthropist, Onyema’s Air Peace, a leading airline in Nigeria, in conjunction with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) will on July 28 unveil a Wall of Fame in honour of ex-athletes who sacrificed for Nigeria on many fronts in the past.
The Wall of Fame is being organized in honour of the athletes who travelled to Olympic Games in 1976 in Montreal, Canada and were ordered home at the eve of the games after Nigeria led a boycott of the games by African countries due to the Apartheid policy in South Africa at the time.
The occasion will also be used to honour the historic 1980 Africa Nations Cup- winning team.
Recall that Nigeria lead 29 mostly African countries to boycott the Montreal Games when the International Olympic Committee refused to ban New Zealand after its national rugby team had earlier toured Aparthied South Africa in 1976 in defiance of the United Nations’ calls for a sporting embargo.
The then Military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, order the Nigerian contingent back home eight days after arriving the Canadian city for the Games.
It was a bitter blow for the athletes as some of them were in the best sporting shape of their lives with hopes of getting medals after impressive performances in tournaments prior to the Games. One of a contender for medals was Charlton Ehizuelen, who was the world leader in the long jump event.
Speaking at a recent media parley in Lagos to unveil plans to honour these worthy former footballers and athletes, the former university football star said he was moved by their selfless patriotism, adding that this was not a publicity stunt for Air Peace or himself as many detractors are claiming but to show the former stars that their sacrifices were not in vain.
“Nigeria led that boycott of the Olympics on the eve of the Olympics,” he said. “Others has arrived Montreal, settled in their hotel rooms and were preparing for the opening ceremony the next morning and the call came that your nation had boycotted the event.
“These athletes in absolute show of respect for their country packed their bags and baggages, entered the next plane and came home. Fighting for a cause, how many people would do that today?
“Those who did it before were not honored so how many people would obey such call. They will say this is the time to japa (run away) . If you do it now nobody will listen to you.
Read Also: Onyema urges flag carrier model for Nigeria Air
“Those athletes would have disobeyed the country and stayed in Montreal to participate in the Olympics if it was today.”
On the 1980 African Cup of Nations conquering Green Eagles, Onyema said it was imperative to honour the team because of the joy they brought to millions of home in Nigeria, adding that the team’s contribution to nation building and nationalism should not go unrecognized.
“How about those who won the African Cup of Nations the first time for our country in 1980. Some of them, if you see them you won’t believe what you are seeing. Such National heroes, no country forgets such heroes.
“What they did brought the country together. I still remember as a kid seeing President Shagari at the national stadium even waving. He was in the crowd. The country became one.
“Anything that could be done to make this country live a life that would transcend our ethnicity, and religion I would encourage and everyone should encourage it too. That is why I think that honoring those Nigerians.”
Onyema identified the revival of school sports as the panacea for the declining fortune of sports in Nigeria, urging government, corporate organisations and philanthropists to revive sports in schools across the country.
He also highlighted the problem of inadequate sporting facilities for most secondary schools to support the practice of sports, adding that secondary school footballers of his school days could match the present crop of international players toe-to-toe today.
“Those days used to be tough, secondary school games those days used to be tough.
“I remember when I played, they even killed one of our secondary school boys when government college went to play federal government college. It used to be tough.
“Secondary school teams in the 70’s would defeat our national team now. The present national team will be nowhere near secondary school teams of yesteryears. I am not talking about clubs, you heard when they beat Canadian club 3-0.
“These days, secondary schools are found in two-storey building, no compound, no playground, nobody is protective of the child, nobody allows their children to experience the street life because of the cities we found ourselves.
“I want to call on the government to look into sport to create jobs. If they can invest in sport, make it safe for people to go and be great, we would bring back that followership.”
A keen sportsman in his younger years, Onyema fondly remembers sneaking out to play football behind his parents back, as they thought sports was for unserious people.
Despite his parents lack of support, Onyema would go on to the top 100 meters sprinter for his school, represent University of Ibadan at the NUGA games, play in the Oyo state division with NISER and have a stint with Benin City giants Insurance when he was a undergoing his mandatory National Youth Service.
“I started doing sport right from Primary School around the street and in Government College, I was doing athletics too; playing football. As a secondary school student, I was mostly down for 100 meters race and in 1984, I was the best athlete, I was the sportsman of the year. I played for UI, NISER. During youth service, I was with Insurance so I have been in and around sports.”
“I was not encouraged by my parents. In fact, I was being treated like a very unserious person. Each time I was to play a match, I used to sneak to do that.
“My uncle and parents were not happy that I was playing football so I was doing those things for leisure. Even when I was in UI, I was playing for NISER, a state division , one big team then in Oyo State and we were doing very well. Sometimes, radio stations used to air our matches then and I never liked when radio stations mentioned my name because my parents would not be happy with me. If anybody heard it and told my parents, I would be in trouble.”
Asides football, Onyema said he was also a sprinter and would have been a world champion had he pursued the sport. According to him, as a school boy in Government College, Ughelli, he was running 10. Secs and was ranked higher than Mike Oyiki who would later represent Nigeria at the 110 hurdles event in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
“I love the game. I would have been one of Nigeria’s best athlete in 100 meters today if I had pursued it. Moses Oyiki and I were both in Government College, I was number 1 and Oyiki used to be number 4 but he represented Nigeria in the Olympics. I was doing about 10. something seconds as a secondary school student in 100 meters. The coach was a Nigerian and he believed I was going to be the next Olympic champion but I was not getting any encouragement from the family so, I just went off and studied law. When we were coming to UI the following year for 1986 NUGA games, everyone was saying oh “Gaddafi” would dust everybody, they used to call me Gaddafi and when they came, I had knee injury at the time so I didn’t participate. But if I had taken athletics, I would have been a world champion. No doubt about that.”
Despite not pursuing his athletic career further, Onyema said he does not have any regrets.
“I believe that where I am today is where God wants me to be so I cannot regret but still, I feel like I should have been out there, doing what I love,” he noted. “These days, I still play table tennis and I play so well. God has blessed me, maybe God chose this way for me so I don’t regret.”
