Stephen Keshi (CON): A Legend That Was Never Celebrated

By Benedict Ahanonu

As a Nigerian and true lover of soccer, I was totally devastated and still feel bad over the sudden death of the big boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, caused by cardiac arrest on June 7, 2016.

Words will not be enough to explain how I felt and still feel about his sudden demise. I know we are all mortals and at one point we must succumb to death but that of Coach Stephen Keshi is hurting me so much because he was accused of what he proved he did not do by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)  led by Amaju Pinnick then and I am sure he could not get justice before his death.

Recall that he was accused by the NFF of applying to coach the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire while still handling the Super Eagles, an accusation that was a spurious work of mischief by his detractors to find an excuse to sack him.

According to a statement by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Executive Committee, the decision was made, having thoroughly reviewed the reports/findings of the NFF Disciplinary Committee and NFF Technical and Development Committee, as well as having reviewed the actions and inaction of Stephen Keshi, in the performance of his duties as Super Eagles' Head Coach, which NFF found to lack the required commitment to achieve the Federation's objectives as set out in the Coach's employment contract.

But has the NFF achieved its objectives since after Keshi?

Who knows, if Keshi had not been sacked ignominiously by the NFF, his beloved wife, Kate might not have died and Keshi could still have been alive. I am tempted to correlate the sudden death of Keshi with the death of his wife, given the fact that some people close to him disclosed that after  the passing on of his wife, Keshi was never himself and finally he is no more.

My happiness is that Keshi won his last match for Nigeria and since after that, Nigeria, I mean the Super Eagles have never won, I stand to be corrected.

Keshi remains a hero, even after his death. His memories will linger because his achievements while alive were quite uncommon.

From qualifying the unlikely Togolese National Team for the 2006 World Cup which held in Germany, to taking Mali to the Africa Cup of Nations and helping Nigeria score a double by winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil, Stephen Keshi did what no other Nigerian coach both dead and alive could not do.

The same Stephen Keshi set a record in African football by being the first African coach to successfully qualify two African nations; Nigeria and Togo for the World Cup Finals. 

Born on January 23, 1962, in Azare, Bauchi State, Nigeria, Stephen Keshi alongside Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary are the two people that won the Africa Cup of Nations as both player and coach.

Now that Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has joined the saints and the angels, my prayer is that Nigerians should learn how to celebrate their legends while they are still alive.

I remember Keshi for his patriotism, love for the game and determination to excel. I also remember Keshi for his patience. He was a patient man, who took his chance when it came. Remember he qualified Togo for the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany but got sacked and never coached the disgraced Togolese Team at the World Cup.

I remember Keshi as a no nonsense man, who would stop at nothing in fighting for that which is right, he was utterly bold and for which reason he got nicknamed, “the big boss.”

He was given the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) by former President Goodluck Jonathan - God bless his heart, in 2013 in recognition of his outstanding achievement of winning the Nations Cup for Nigeria after 19 years; yet to many he was a villain, a bad coach, that lacks tactics but he kept winning, kept smiling even while in pains. 

Indeed, he was a legend.

He kept his word but was never celebrated. It was only President Jonathan that saw the greatness in Keshi and accorded him the honour he deserved.