Sports is, perhaps, one of the easiest avenues for young men to quit the poverty lane. The world over, sportsmen are among the best paid set of professionals, with some earning in a week far above what well-educated individuals in other professions get in a lifetime.
These are the former stars who acquired education and other vocations while they could. Today, some of them are well-placed in the society. Last week, the news also broke of the demise of former Green Eagles and Bendel Insurance of Benin midfielder, George Omokaro, who was bedridden for almost 10 years after several major surgeries associated with arthritis.There are many other former stars in urgent need of support because they cannot help themselves. Most of them are on the fringes of life, devoid of ideas on what to do to sustain themselves.
Today, Okala, also called ‘Tallest’ for his towering 6ft 5 inches imposing frame, is a sad man. He has been down with an undisclosed ailment for over two years.The former Enugu Rangers goalkeeper told The Guardian during the week that even though he had been sick, he won’t complain to anyone about his ill-health. “I have been sick for the past two years, and all the people in the Nigeria Football Federation know about it.
In 1975, Okala was in the Rangers’ squad that conquered Ghazi El Mehalla of Egypt in the semifinal of the African Champions Cup. The Flying Antelopes had not lost a game in three years before their trip to Egypt in a do or die match against Mehalla. But Chukwu does not actually fall into the category of distressed former footballers as he is a top officer in the Enugu State Civil Service. Segun Odegbami is one of the few retired footballers, who have continued to thrive on their own in spite of neglect by the nation they served so well.
“If somebody has served you, putting everything in his life and he becomes a hero, gets a national award, there should be a forum where such individual should be rewarded every month for the rest of his life.“Of what use is it to give somebody a national honour and when the person retires he cannot take care of himself.“I believe somebody with a national honour should be a child of the country. This is the way Nigeria should look at their heroes, not only in sports, but also in the academia.
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