Demola Adefajo writes on Remembering Sam Okwaraji

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This Tuesday August 12, marks the 25th anniversary of the death of a national icon, patriot, a rarity in this clime-  Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji- who laid down his dear life fighting for a national cause, on the field of play. 

Okwaraji's burst to national limelight was not marked by the blazing of a comet but by the time curtain was called on his acts on the theatre called mother earth he had earned his place among the legends for what he did and the way he did it.

Until early 1988, he was an unknown player plying his soccer skills in Europe and quietly making a name playing and studying.  The national team, then called the Green Eagles, were preparing for an Olympic qualifier against the Desert Warriors of Algeria in Enugu and Okwaraji happened to be in the country then on holiday. Straight to the national camp he went uninvited offering his service to the handlers of the team.

This offer was initially greeted with scepticism by the handlers of the team.  However, after some training sessions with the team he had not only booked a place in the team which beat Algeria 2.0 on that hot afternoon in Enugu, he had made himself an integral part of the team with his superb skills, workaholic display in the midfield and his unselfish play.

It was no wonder then that when the team for the 1988 Nations' Cup team in Morocco was selected he was one of the players registered for the Eagles.  It was to his credit that he was one of the highest goal scorers in the competition with two goals against Egypt and Cameroun.

He was only denied a sip from the Nations' Cup by some curious refereeing decisions by Jean Diramba of Gabon who ruled out a good goal by Henry Nwosu only to award a dubious penalty to Cameroun in the final of the Nations' Cup in Morocco.

He went on to play at the Olympics at the Olympics proper.  Although the team performed badly, losing to first round opponents Brazil, Yugoslavia and Australia, Okwaraji was singled out for honours by watchers of the game for his impressive display. He was later named in the Africa All Stars Team for the year 1988.

However, what marked him out was not only his skill, but his uncommon sense of duty, tenacity and altruistic patriotism. These are traits uncommon in Nigeria today whether in sports or the general realm of public administration. It is selfish desire of what is in it for me rather than the love of the nation that is the primary motivation.

Olympics and Nations' cup having been dispensed with, Okwaraji shifted his attention to the qualifiers for the Italia '90 World Cup. A determined and dogged individual who was never easily dissuaded once he set his sight on achieving a goal, he was ready to give his all to attain the goal of playing in the National team at the World Cup.

He was even prepared to pay his own ways to come and play for the national team to ensure that the goal of playing at Italia 90 was achieved.  He was quoted as saying "If the NFA knew how much I want to play in Italy they would not have bothered inviting me, let alone paying me. I'd have come anyway. I am determined to come home and play.  Even for free. The World Cup is every footballer's ultimate dream."

This was a paradox of sort coming from a consummate professional who was determined to drop everything to answer national call at a time many of his colleagues who did not even have regular club in Europe at a time his own contract was worth millions were doing 'yanga',  dictating terms and conditions to the NFA.

However, like a classical tragic hero that he was, fate had some other things in stock for him.  He was one of the players who started the penultimate group game for the Eagles against Angola on August 12, 1989.  He was brimming with so much confidence and energy.  He contested for every ball, and went for all tackles with his sight firmly set on the goal of World Cup qualification, earning a yellow card in the process.

Tragedy, however, struck in the 70th minute of play when he slumped in an off-the-ball incident, beckoning on team mate Samson Siasia to call the doctor

Alas, before any help could be rendered Sam had already bowed out, not only from the match, but from mother earth.

It was a shocked nation which woke up on Sunday August 13 to learn of the death of this priceless patriot.  The victory against Angola was to prove a phyrric one as tears of mourning drowned the euphoria of victory.

However, the greatest tragedy of all was that the dream for which he died was deferred as his colleagues could not secure the one point needed for qualification against Cameroun in Yaounde two weeks later as the team lost 1.0 to the Indomitable Lions.  Worst of all many members of the first team were left out of the match for ostensibly asking for money before playing in Cameroun- an outright desecration of the ideals for which Okwaraji lived and died.

Many promises were made by the sports authority to the family of this illustrious son of Africa but very little were kept.  Only a statue in front of the National Stadium, Lagos remains to remind us of this colossus who once bestrode the sporting stage of the continent.

Not even the promise to retire the jersey no 6 he wore on the day he died had been kept.

Only sport writers are seen at programmes marking anniversaries of his death as sports and FA officials are often too busy to remember to honour such programmes.

It is not too late to accord him the necessary honour by seeing that his dependants are assisted while the new national stadium in Abuja should be named after him.

Government should also invest in building ultra modern health facilities at stadia to attend to health need of sportsmen and spectators.

Unless something is done, it would be very difficult to persuade young Nigerians to live and die for fatherland.

Sam continue to rest in the bosom of the lord.