BY DESMOND EKWUEME
ONYEMACHARA : THE PAINS OF EX-INTERNATIONALS
Mike Onyemachara passed on few days ago. He died in a two-bedroom apartment in Ajegunle.
Thank God for giving him and his family a roof over their heads before his demise….even if it is a rented apartment. Many of his colleagues and contemporaries have no roof over their heads as you read this.
They’re hanging out there and squatting with extended families or friends. No home, no job and atimes no food. Many of them are shy to come out in public to speak of their predicament. They stay away from events they’re supposed to be part of…just because they’re not happy with their looks, appearances or state of mind.
They’re almost wretched and painfully to say the least, they appear like destitute in their country. A country they served honourably and successfully with the energies and strengths of their youth.
They tore ligaments. They crushed or broke their bones. They spilled blood on the battlefield for their beloved country Nigeria yet they die in penury and misery. That is the reality of Nigeria. The true picture, story and situation of sports here.
It is the reality we have come to live with. Don’t ask me if we love it. We seem to have a way of enjoying what we hate most. We seem to love and embrace sorrow and pain. Remember Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s hit song SUFFERING AND SMILING?
Sad, bitter and ugly but it’s what the system and it’s operators have decided to give to the heroes and heroines who may have unknowingly in the past laboured in vain.
Many had gone before and like Onyemachara. Many are still suffering same fate of agony,, undesired and undeserved situations and circumstances of abject poverty. No help, no solution and no means of survival thus, leading to their deaths.
No soul lives forever. We all will go there some day even at separate times and periods but it is good for one to live a life of comfort to an extent before exiting especially after gloriously serving one’s fatherland and even excelling in one’s chosen field of endeavor or career.
The ordeal or plight of Nigerian sportsmen and women especially ex-internationals after retirement is pathetic. The fortunate ones are those who moved overseas to seek greener pastures or a better life after sacrificing their time, energies and even risking their lives to bring honour and glory to Nigeria. Few others surviving here are fortunate to be linked or close to the corridors of power. They’re satisfied with the crumbs they get to keep soul and body together.
Mike Onyemachara wasn’t just an ordinary footballer. He wasn’t a mere ex-international. He was a dedicated Super Eagle. He served with his heart, body, soul and spirit. He excelled with the Dammam Miracle and historic Saudi ’89 Flying Eagles….and went ahead to feature for Super Eagles on few occasions.
He was calm. A friend of his colleagues. He had a crisis and scandal free playing career. He was easygoing. A very jovial, amiable and peaceful fellow. He won’t hurt a fly yet, he was as hard as nail in the defence.
He was robust in his plays but wasn’t rough or vicious. He wasn’t a card-friendly defender. His eyes were always on the ball not on the legs of his opponents. He easily dispossesses them of the ball….leaving them with a smile.
Onyemachara went briefly into coaching after retirement but the system which favours those who never kicked an orange ensured that he who was an ex-international couldn’t get a good coaching job.
Onyemachara reportedly died in his apartment in Ajegunle. He didn’t eat the food kept for him by his wife who went to her place of business to seek daily bread as the children had gone to school. Mother and chikdren returned home to meet their husband and father stonecold.
Perhaps there could be a serious internal ailment he was suffering which wasn’t known to all. Reports say he complained of backaches to his friends and family members. Perhaps if there was fund he would have been taken to the hospital for thorough medical attention or checkup. He may not have died.
Recently, news filtered in that ex-international, Emmanuel Ebiede who like Onyemachara played with the Flying Eagles (at different eras) before graduating to the Super Eagles was sick and needed urgent help. But before we could say Jack Robinson, he was gone.
He died just at the help was coming as well meaning Nigerians rallied round to donate money through a verifiable account for his medical attention.
How many of our ex-internationals are facing or passing through this sort of situations and dying slowly and secretly? Indeed, many are sick and many are dying.
Some don’t want their stories or situations or health challenges to be made public. They are shy. Shy of what reckless commentators would say. In our clime, those whose kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits are always the ones to condemn those who were not as fortunate as them.
Those born with silver spoons are always the ones quick to castigate and criticize those not lucky enough to experience the shower of the seeds of providence.
My heart bleeds for our ex-internationals who end up like Onyemachara after doing so much for his country. Today, the highest office most ex-international footballerd can attain in Nigeria is a technical committee seat in the Nigeria Football Federation. Only few could become States FA chairmen like Chikelue Illoenyosi and Austin Okocha at some point.
Ex-internationals are better described as used, ignored, dumped and abandoned. I won’t be surprised however if, someone ask here, What have the ex-internationals been doing with their wealth while still active?
Let me say at this point that, not all ex-internationals are comfortable. Not all are wealthy. Not all were reckless with their resources. Some were unfortunate to fall into the traps of scammers and fraudsters. We all know the story of Wilson Oruma and the fake dubious Pastor who talked him into an oil business. The rest like they say is history.
Some of these ex-internationals were struck by strange and spiritual ailments and attacks which gulped their life savings and left them hopeless and helpless. That is Nigeria for you. Many critics forget this before condemning ex-internationals as if suggesting they must be saints or all-knowing.
I dare say while active, the issue or question should be what can a player or ex-international do for his country with his or her God-given talent and energy? But on or after retirement, it should be what can the country do for her ex-internationals?
No sane country abandons her ex-internationals. If ex-service men are paid pension and gratuities then, ex-internationals shouldn’t be exempted. They equally served their country if not better than their compatriots in other fields or sectors.
This is where SPORTS POLICY comes in. Yours sincerely has been crying this cry for ages. Perhaps I have been a lone voice in the wilderness asking the sports authorities to come up with a Sports Policy to fix the ills, errors and oversights in our sports.
It is an aberration for a sportsman or woman to commit his or her all, talking about the energy and times of his or her youth to nation building through sports…and in most cases winning medals, laurels, trophies and honors for the country yet left dry after retirement. It is a sin against humanity. It is a crime against mankind….and it’s a curse to nations that practice it.
The SPORTS POLICY is a document which tidies and takes care of issues ranging from talent discovery, grooming, training for events, participation in international events or representing your country, programs, planning and welfare of all those actively or passively involved especially after or during retirement.
If it is so difficult to come up with a Sports Policy then, we should simply copy or borrow from what great sporting nations like Britain, USA, France and China among others do to or for their nationals before, during and after representing these countries. We can then, pick the one that suits us best as a people or country.
Treating ex-internationals like nobodies after retirement doesn’t portray Nigeria as a serious sporting nation. The avoidable deaths of our ex-internationals speaks volume of how much our government values life and sports.
