FOOTBALL LEGENDS: NIGERIA BEST FOOTBALLER EVER-SAMUEL OKWARAJI

Biography of Nigeria Football Legend

Early Days

1. Sam was born on the 19th of May, 1964 in Umudioka Orlu, Orlu Local Government Area, Imo State-Nigeria
2. His father, Mr. David Okwaraji worked with the defunct Nigeria Airways as a Duty Officer with the mother, Lady Janet Okwaraji being a retired school headmistress
3. Sam was second to the last of seven children
4. He was the most intelligent of all his kids according to his mother

Education

1. He attended WTC Practicing School, Enugu for his primary education
2. Ezeachi Secondary School, Orlu, Imo State
3. He went to Federal Government College, Orlu where he was with the very first set admitted.
4. He bagged both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in International from Sapienza University of Rome (Sapienza – Università di Roma)
5. He could speak five languages -English, German, Italian, Spanish and of course, his native Igbo. He was an intellectual giant -flawlessly combining academic rigors with footballing talents.

Carrer

1. Signed up in 1984 at the age of 20 by Associazione Sportiva Roma (AS Roma)
2. NK Dinamo (Građanski Nogometni Klub Dinamo Zagreb), Zagreb, Croatia. Here, he scored a hat trick in one of his matches with NK Budućnost Hodošan (now NK Hodosan) on the 30th of April, 1986
3. VfB Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
4. SV-ULM 1894
5. His last match for the club was on the 29th of May, 1988 under Klaus Toppmoller. The match was against FC St. Pauli
6. he Nigerian Football Association requested his release from SSV-ULM 1846, his club, so he could come and represent Nigeria in the match but his club refused demanding that NFA pay a sum of $45,000 in gating fees which they’d lose if Sam did not play for them. Group Captain John Obakpolor, then the NFA Chairman decided to broker a deal for $15,000.
7. He was passionate-When Sam heard that the club was charging his country, he was very angry and charged at his manager for making such demands. Then he left these indelible words in the ears of his manager:

   ‘I am a lawyer and you know and I signed to play football for certain conditions but I don’t think it included reselling my services to my country. You or your club cannot stop me from playing for my country. Let me tell you, I am going to represent my country whether you like it or not.

8. He paid for his flight tickets to come and play for Nigeria
9. He was a man of the people
10. He bought Electricity poles for his community to give them Power

26 YEAR OLD CO-PILOT OF HELICOPTER CRASH IN RIVER YET TO BE IDENTIFIED

Peter Bello (pictured above) is a 26 year old co-pilot of the ill fated helicopter that crashed into the Lagoon yesterday has still not been found. 4 persons have been confirmed dead while 6 were rescued alive. However Peter and one other person in the 12- seat helicopter are yet to be accounted for as they have not been found by divers.

https://i.onthe.io/vllkyt5crtomnpdkm.b82fcc50.jpg

Reports say they were coming from the Niger Delta where they had gone for an oil-related inspection and were heading back to Lagos when they suffered the mishap. Friends say Peter, who is also a media photographer, had been planning for his sister’s wedding which is to hold soon. Pray they find him alive. Amen.