Chris Maduewesi
Member
Family of Sam Okwaraji has demanded that the National Stadium in Lagos,Surulere be named after the late footballer.
Okwaraji died while on national duty for Nigeria,slumping down on the pitch in the 1990 World Cup qualifying match against Angola.
The incident occurred on August 12,1989 and many years after,the only significant remembrance of the player who died while in action for his country is a mini-statute of him at the entrance of the stadium where he died.
Apparently irked that not much have been done to immortalize Okwaraji,his family has called for visible thing to be done for him.
"The Okwarajis will want the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where Sam took his last breath, to be renamed after him,” Patrick Okwaraji,his elder brother told AfricanFootball.com
“This is not too much to do for a man who gave all to his country and died doing so.
“Okwaraji died while in active service for Nigeria, we are therefore calling on the authorities to immortalise Samuel Okwaraji, a man whose life and legacies have continued to inspire and motivate our people.
“Nigeria should learn and start to celebrate our true heroes so as to encourage, inspire and motivate our people.
“We may be wrong in blowing this trumpet ourselves, but what do you do in the face of a nation’s negligence This is a situation that has continuously affected the psyche of our sports persons generally and has supported the culture of lack of commitment and patriotism.”
Okwaraji died while on national duty for Nigeria,slumping down on the pitch in the 1990 World Cup qualifying match against Angola.
The incident occurred on August 12,1989 and many years after,the only significant remembrance of the player who died while in action for his country is a mini-statute of him at the entrance of the stadium where he died.
Apparently irked that not much have been done to immortalize Okwaraji,his family has called for visible thing to be done for him.
"The Okwarajis will want the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where Sam took his last breath, to be renamed after him,” Patrick Okwaraji,his elder brother told AfricanFootball.com
“This is not too much to do for a man who gave all to his country and died doing so.
“Okwaraji died while in active service for Nigeria, we are therefore calling on the authorities to immortalise Samuel Okwaraji, a man whose life and legacies have continued to inspire and motivate our people.
“Nigeria should learn and start to celebrate our true heroes so as to encourage, inspire and motivate our people.
“We may be wrong in blowing this trumpet ourselves, but what do you do in the face of a nation’s negligence This is a situation that has continuously affected the psyche of our sports persons generally and has supported the culture of lack of commitment and patriotism.”
