Commentary: Nigeria is not worthy of Stephen Keshi

Picture of Stephen Keshi coaching Togo

by Dolapo Adelana

On June 7, 2016, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi breathed his last on the earth.

The former Super Eagles captain and manager popularly called ‘The Big Boss’ went home to be with his late wife, Nkem Kate Keshi.

Minutes after his death, encomiums started pouring in from right, left and centre – as many Nigerians and foreigners eulogised his achievements as a player and as a coach.

But who are we fooling?

Is it not the same Keshi that Nigerians attributed his 2013 African Cup of Nations (AfCON) victory to luck?

Why are we in the habit of ‘honouring’ people in death and not when they are alive?

Whenever he performed well, it was ‘luck’, but when the team lost, it wasn’t ‘luck’ but his fault. How inhumane can we be?

He worked under stringent conditions with the Nigeria Football Federation and never had an outburst like his predecessor did.

He kept his cool even when pushed to the wall by his employers and never spoke bad about them in public.

But what did they do? They sacked him unceremoniously on the ‘perceived rumour’ that he applied for a job elsewhere.

His replacement, Sunday Oliseh came, saw the state of the nation’s football organisation and fled.

Even in death the Nigeria Football Federation did not have the gumption to fly its flag at half-mast.

The Ghanaian Football Association flew theirs in honour of a great man.

He qualified Togo for their first ever World Cup appearance in Germany 2006 but was kicked out before the tournament.

Nigeria and in fact Africa is not worthy of Stephen Okechukwu Keshi.

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