Nigeria Content Online

In
the last ten years Nigerian sports has been diminished by the deaths of
some of its sports men and administrators. Here are some of those who
departed.

Ishaya Mark Aku (died May 4 2002): was Nigerian Minister of Sports in the first tenure
of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He died in a plane crash in Kano on his
way to watch an international friendly match between Nigeria and Kenya.
Aku was appointed Sports Minister in February 2001 and organised the
Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to become a semi-independent body
that relied less on government funding. He disbanded the Super Eagles,
the National team, after they performed poorly at the 2002 African Cup
of Nations in Mali.

He was appointed
head of the Supreme Council of Sports in Africa. Working with Patrick
Ekeji at the Sports Ministry, Aku started to reduce the emphasis on
football and to encourage other sports.

Dokun Abidoye: Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports and President of Youth Sports Federation of
Nigeria YSFON, Abidoye, died in 2004 at the age of 55. He was said to
have died of cancer.

Patrick Okpomo (died in 2004 at the age of 60: three-time Secretary-General of the
Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and leading official of the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) was one of the most respected
football administrators to have come out of Nigeria. He was there for
three years (1984-1987), stayed out for two years and returned to the
same position in 1989. The following year, he had to leave again,
forced out by the infamous ‘Long-Pants Scandal’ that swept out the
Yusuf Ali-administration.

Stephen Akiga (Died
September 2004): was Minister of Sports between May 2002 and May 2003
after the death of Ishaya Mark Aku. In August 2002 Akiga admitted that
Nigeria was having difficulty in preparing to host the 2003 Africa
Games, but said that a bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games was being
planned. In January 2003 Akiga announced that Nigeria had formed a
committee to prepare the bid for the 2010 soccer World Cup. In May
2003, during the delay before Obasanjo named his new cabinet following
the elections, there were reports that workers in the Sports Ministry
had embarked on “serious fasting and prayer” to ensure that Akiga was
not reappointed. Akiga died on 6 September 2004.

Sam Okoye (May 1,
1980 – August 31, 2005): was a football goalkeeper who represented
Nigeria during the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He reportedly
died in Tehran, where he was living, after a few day’s illness, four
months after his 25th birthday. The cause and circumstances of his
death were unclear and Iranian authorities did not release his remains
for repatriation and burial in Nigeria until May 2006.

Samson Emeka
Omeruah (August 14, 1943 – December 4, 2006): was a retired air
commodore, a former governor of Anambra State and a former three-time
Minister for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture in Nigeria during
the regimes of Buhari, Sani Abacha and Abdulsalam Abubakar. He was once
the chairman of Nigeria Football Association and is regarded as its
most successful one. He returned to the position in 1994, in time to
see the Green Eagles make their first World Cup and win the 1996
Olympic gold medal. He was one of the advocates of privatising the game
in Nigeria and removing control from state governments. He died in
London after a brief illness.

Yemi Tella, (Born
1951 – Died 2007): coached the U-17 football team to World Cup victory
even while battling with lung cancer. A trainer from the National
Institute of Sport, he took over the Youth team a few months to the
tournament in Korea. He was the third coach to win that title for
Nigeria. He finally lost the battle to lung cancer six weeks after his
victory in Korea.

Isaac Akioye, (Born
1923 – Died 2007): The first Nigerian to earn a Masters Degree in
Physical Education. Akioye was an astute sports administrator and
mentor. During his tenure, Nigeria would have won medals in 1976
Olympics but for a boycott of the game in support of the liberation
struggles in South Africa. During his time Nigeria had the best set of
athletes.

Nine female
footballers and two of their coaches died in an automobile crash in
December 2008 in Dorowa village, near Mangu in Plateau State on their
way from a football match. Their vehicle went up in flames following
the crash and they died on the spot.

Oyo Orok Oyo: (August 27 1922 – September 2008): The first Nigerian to serve on the
executive committee of the world football body, FIFA.

Oyo, in his
lifetime, served as the vice-president of the Confederation of African
Football, CAF, and was the longest serving secretary-general of the
Nigeria Football Association, NFA. He was also the first Nigerian
member of CAF and FIFA executive committees.

Ewa Richard Henshaw (died in 2009 at the age of 89): The first player to lead Nigeria out
for an international match. Henshaw captained the Nigerian team to tour
England in August 1949. He was a prolific scorer in his playing days
and led Marine FC to win the Governor’s Cup (now known as the
Federation Cup) in 1945. He also featured for an amateur club in
Cardiff in 1950. He quit football in 1952.

Joseph Orjiakor, a
Nigerian kick-boxer died in February 2009 after losing in the final of
his event during the Sports festival in Kaduna. His death was said to
have resulted from the delay of organisers to offer him medical
attention on time. As a result athletes threatened to withdraw from the
games.

Endurance Idahor (August 4 1984 – March 6, 2010): was a Nigerian football player who
played for Sudanese club Al-Merreikh. On 6 March 2010, Idahor collapsed
during a league game and later died on his way to the hospital. In
2003, he scored 12 goals for Julius Berger and moved in 2005 to
Dolphins FC. Idahor also played for the U-23 Nigeria national football
team.

Raheem Adejumo (Born 1923 – Died 2010): The former president of the National Olympic
Committee from 1987 to 1997. He was president Lagos Lawn Tennis Club
from 1976-1979 and President of the National Lawn Tennis Association
for 15 years. Adejumo was instrumental to adding tennis as a sports
played in the Olympics. He died in his sleep.

Emmanuel Ogoli (1989 – 12 December 2010) was a Nigerian professional footballer who
played as a left back. Ogoli played in the Nigeria Premier League for
Bayelsa United and Ocean Boys. On 12 December 2010, Ogoli collapsed on
the pitch while playing for Ocean Boys, and died later in hospital.