NIGERIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE MATCHES AND LIVE COMMENTARIES By Sixtus Chibueze Ezennaya

The lanky ebony black goal-hungry Ranger is ranging alone in the goal area of the Water Corporation Football Club of Ibadan. Can the one-man riot squad make it four for Rangers? A hat-trick i.e. one, two, three goals are already in his kitty. Ifeanyichukwu means nothing is insurmountable to God. Four goals are also not beyond the ability of Ifeanyi Chukwu Onyedika.



Rangers building attack from defence through Patrick Ekeji with a triangular tap to Herbert Anijekwu and Innocent Obiekwo to Commander Louis Igwilo who chest-traps and sends a banana-kick pass to Ifeanyi Chukwu Onyedika in the eighteen yard box of Water Corporation. He beats stylishly an on-rushing defender and a scissor-kick and it is a goal-o-o-o! Goal number four for the Flying Antelopes and Indomitable Rangers International Football Club of Enugu, all scored by Ifeanyichukwu Ahidjo Onyedika. Guess who was running the commentary? That was the football commentaries of Ernest Okonkwo while pairing with Tolu Fatoyimbo in the Radio Nigeria Ibadan commentaries on the last match of the 1981 National Division One Football League match at Liberty Stadium Ibadan. Incidentally, that was the match that sent Water Corporation to the lower division in fact into oblivion.



In those days, every Saturday, Nigerians glued to their radios for league football commentaries to ease off weeklong tension. Nowadays, it is no longer so. Who is responsible for this deprivation of weekend happiness? An investigation showed that the commercialization of everything in Nigeria is responsible. Could it be true that as there is no free lunch in Europe, there is no longer “free” programme in our radio stations? Is the insinuation that Igbo man loves money now being copied verbatim by the Nigerian government? When I now listen to League Football commentaries every Saturday from BBC, Radio Cameroun, Radio Accra, I begin to wonder if these radio stations do not know the value of money or commercialization. When a nincompoop learnt how to chew stick, even broom for sweeping the room, is not spared. Yooh! Nigeria and commercialization of radio programmes.



Perhaps, what is most fascinating and endearing about football commentary, is the ability of the commentators to give accurate analysis of the second to second, minute to minute account of the proceedings. Ernest Okonkwo for example, had a unique football commentary style which enabled him to use the appropriate qualifying adjectives for his characters. He coined names like Emmanuel “Man-Mountain” Okala, Aloysius “Block Buster” Atuegbu, Christian “Chairman” Chukwu, “Mathematical” Segun Odegbami, Kelechi “Caterpillar” Emetole, “Midfield Maestro” Mudashiru Lawal, Kingsley “Mature” Onye, “Chief Justice” Adokie Amasiemeka, Uwem “Harmattan” Ekarika, Sylvanus “Quicksilver” Okpala, “Commander” Louis Igwilo, Sylvester “Bahama” Oparanozie, Benedict “Surugede” Ugwu, Idowu “Slow Poison” Otubusin, “Shortish” John Benson, “Answerable” Edward Ansa, “Diminutive” Amechi Ottih, Nnamdi “Policeman” Anyafor, Nnamdi “Camel” Nwokocha, Davidson “Okada Air” Owumi, Daniel “The Bull” Amokachi, “Penalty Specialist” Christian Madu, “Masters of Long Throw” Moses Otolorin and Nwabueze “Bulldozer” Nwankwo, “The man with the bullet shot” Emmanuel Osigwe, “Dean of Defence” Yisa Shofoluwe, “Gangling” Rashidi Yekini, “Darkness” Amechi Igweobi etc. A typical snippet of Okonkwo’s commentary style ran thus, “……….. he beats Christian Chukwu, Christian Madu and Christian Nwokocha, ……………. he beats three Christians in a row. …….. who is this man? He must be a Moslem. Oh, he is Shefiu Mohammed sending a diagonal pass to Baba Otu Mohammed. In one occasion, Ernest Okonkwo said, “After ninety minutes of play and extra time, the match has ended one goal apiece but a winner must emerge. Fiver players have on each side been selected to take the penalty kick. The players are praying to their God to give them this day but it is not who prays more but who plays better. As members of the Nigerian Supporters Club are usually known for their vociferation in tournaments involving Nigerian teams, Ernest Okonkwo while commending them once said, “If you cheer when a goal is scored, you are reacting to an impulse. But if you cheer when no goal is scored, you are indeed supporting.”



The special tribute paid to Ernest Okonkwo does not mean that he was the only commentator in Nigeria those days but to refresh our memories on the vitality of the game via Football commentaries. Mr. Okonkwo would refer to an incident that gave a player his prominence. The day Mehala F. C. of Egypt saw wahala at Enugu and the Godwin Odiye back-heading that denied Nigeria World Cup slot in 1978, Ernest Okonkwo relived very vividly the memories. He would tell you what happened the day three Atuegbu brothers: Mathew, Andrew, and Aloysius Atuegbu played in one match for Nigeria. Why was Teslim Balogun called Thunder Balogun? The myth of Aliusalam, Rocks of Ilorin in 1976 which Rangers demystified, the magic hand of Maradona, Christopher Ohehen and the miracle of Daman, the 3 – 0 defeat of Rangers by Bendel Insurance in the 1978 Nigeria Challenge Cup final, the Kaduna debacle of Rangers / IICC match in the 1977 African Winners Cup, the Calabar rematch of Rangers / Spartans League match that brought Govs Jim Nwobodo and Sam Mbakwe to Calabar, Ernest Okonkwo referred to all these with relative ease. Had Ernest been alive today, he would have drawn the similarities of Jim Nwobodo and Orji Uzor Kalu, as he made reference points to the following players: Jossy Dambraye, Taiwo Ogunjobi, Okey Isima, Best Ogedengbe, Agwo Nnaji, Mutiu Adepoju, Superbrat Etim Esim, Sule Kekere, Ali Jeje, Tarila Okoronwata, Philip Osondu, etc. Above all, many superstar players of today would have been proud owners of superlatives “names.” Oh!, what a miss of super commentator Ernest Okonkwo.



In those days, commentaries were run almost from every radio station be it Federal or State. In Radio Nigeria Lagos, besides Ernest Okonkwo, Ishola Folarunsho, Bisi Lawrence, Sebastian Ofurum, Kevin Ejiofor, Walter Batuyi etc. held the ace. Radio Nigeria Enugu had the likes of Richard Asiegbu, Emeka Odikpo etc. The scintillating voices of Agwu Nwogo, Samrose Anyaugo, John Nwogu, and Christopher Abiaziem thrilled the listeners to the Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Owerri. The Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) Enugu, was privileged to have Pete Edochie, Joe Martins Uzodike and others while Edo Radio Benin boasted of Emmanuel Egharevba. From time to time as the commentaries reverberated, I tuned to Radio Nigeria Ibadan to listen to soft-spoken Tolu Fatoyimbo and others whereas Cross River Broadcasting Service where Edem Duke was mesmerising players of Rovers Football Club of Calabar from Eta Egbe to James Etokebe would be the next station to tune to. Those days, Radio Nigeria Kaduna, Radio Plateau, Jos, usually ran commentaries in English and Hausa languages. Whenever my darling team RANGERS, travelled to those places, I steadfastly like Nigerian fans of Man U, Chelsea, Barca, Arsenal etc, listened to the commentaries whether or not I understood Hausa language. One thing was certain, whenever a goal was scored, I did know from the shouting of the commentators and the players of the ball vis-à-vis his position in the football arena. By the time I finished listening to these commentaries, my “Samedi Sour” (Saturday / Weekend Evening) would have been well spent.



What has gone wrong with Nigeria and football commentaries?

Could the loss of interest in watching Nigeria League and Challenge Cup matches by football fans be attributable to the stoppage of running live football commentaries? When the youthful and bubbling talents of our present crop of commentators are being suppressed and put into disuse, while that of the foreign colleagues are advertised, nurtured and supported, what an unprecedented talent-kill. Tomorrow when the commentators go for job-hunt abroad, Government will start to deplore brain-drain. Ndubueze Chidoka, Shina Abimbola, Kelechi Onwudiwe etc, please remain undaunted.



For one, commentaries catalyze the action on the field of play, enthuse the morale of fans and help to curtail poor officiating, make listeners and fans know the names of players and how skilful a player is, among others. I never saw Emeka “404” Onyedika play football but his description as “404” tells me, he was a very swift sprinter in the field of play. The description of Daniel Amokachi as a utility player by the commentator when he was still a youth-player with Ranchers Bees of Kaduna prodded me into wanting to see him play which I of course accomplished by watching Rangers / Ranchers Bees match at Temporary Stadium of University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC). That Donald Igwebuike of Rangers International is nicknamed Stone Broker or Tony Orji (Iron Gate) is courtesy of their no nonsense, robust, stubborn and watertight defence. It was a saying by Ernest Okonkwo that Donald could even play a shot-put in the field of play.



That Nigeria football fans want the football commentaries back, is the bottom-line of this write-up for our League and Challenge Cup matches to be lively once again. Please, NFF, NFL, Radio Nigeria, State Radio Stations, MTN, Globacom, Starcom, Zain, Coca Cola, Seven-up, NIPOST, and other sponsors / lovers of our football, it is the wish of all Nigerian football fans that live football commentaries return to our radio stations notwithstanding this commercialization policy. If it is possible to include live television coverage, it will also be most welcomed. Neither commercialization policy nor hard times is good enough to obliterate live commentaries. No matter how small the dance-floor maybe, there is always space for the drummer.



Mr. Ezennaya is the ex-Chairman of Rangers Supporters Club, Aba Chapter.