BY AYODELE ODUMADE

A year ago I remember exactly where I was when I heard the sad news that one of the greatest coaches to come out of Nigeria, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi had passed away. I shed a tear and I was in shock. How could someone so young with so much more to give die so young? Let me take you back to the beginning.

When I was growing up in Nigeria, Keshi emerged as one of the young talents who played for New Nigerian Bank of Benin, which dominated Nigerian football for a while.  He became captain of the team and would go on play for the Super Eagles.  He showed he was a leader when he led a group of five NNB players who were in dispute with the Nigerian football authority to boycott the National team.  They were banned from all football activities in Nigeria and were branded the “Benin Mafia.” 

This was to lead to his next adventure as he moved to Ivorian team Stade d’Abidjan in Ivory Coast.  Little did Keshi know then that he would become a pioneer as players realised they could make a living from football abroad, after he eventually made his way to Anderlecht in Belgium.  He led from the front and would not take no for an answer from anyone. 

After he was reinstated to the Super Eagles he would go on to create more history as he captained the team the team to the Nations cup victory in Tunisia in 1994 thus becoming the first Nigeria captain to win the Nations Cup abroad. He was the captain of the first Nigerian side to qualify for the world cup after some many painful attempts. In 2013 he went on to win the Nations Cup as a coach thus becoming only the second person to win the trophy both as a player and as a coach.

He is the only African to qualify two African teams for the World Cup (Togo and Nigeria) despite all the obstacles placed in his path by football administrators. He was not quite appreciated in Nigeria despite what he achieved.

On a personal note I first came into contact with him in 2001 while he was assistant to Shuaibu Amodu and they successfully rescued Nigerian’s qualification after some bad results.  He was very polite, friendly, lucid and expressed himself. Every time I subsequently met him he greeted me warmly.  The last time I saw him was when they organised a send off for him before he departed to the World Cup in 2014. Little did I know that I had gone to say bye to him. 

You will struggle to find a more passionate Nigerian when it comes to Nigerian football. He knew how to play the politics and was determined to achieve despite not being paid on time and so many other broken promises by various football administrators in Nigeria. He always kept his eyes on the prize. I find it irritating that foreign coaches have been treated better than Keshi and yet he achieved more than most of them. He may be gone but his legacy lives on. Continue to rest in peace “Big Boss”.