A Cairo Football Battlefront! A Reporter’s Notebook About the late Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase, Complete Sports Publisher and My First Editor
Lead picture depicts a morning after picture conference with my Journalism friends who saw me and were curious about the Egyptian lady they saw with me at our Cairo hotel en-route that Nation’s National Stadium. Pleasant fact is while they went on a tour of tourist sites I stayed back in the hotel for you know what. The disinformation justified an agenda item between Israeli and Egyptian officials last year https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/egypt-s-shoukry-meets-israel-s-lapid-calls-to-resolve-stalemate-with-palestinians-1.9990738
Word Count 2694
By Ben Edokpayi (Former Sports Editor, Newswatch)
https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/obazu-ojeagbasesunnyabiodun/
https://blerf.org/index.php/biography/edokpayi-ben/
Fairfield, California — As a journalist, after the 1986 assasination of Newswatch editor and former New York Times staffer Dele Giwa in 1986, the next most shocking news in my four-decades journalism career has to be the death of Doctor Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase, 71, on February 28 in Atlanta, Georgia after a brief illness.
Why? Both exceptional journalists fostered a solid foundation in the early stages of my journalism career straight from College at the University of Calabar.
Indeed I was the pioneer editor of Africa’s most popular sports publication, Sports Souvenir-Complete Sports.
And here is proof of my unadulterated importance to the history of Africa’s most important sports publication “His name was Ben Edokpayi, an excellent writer. Ben had agreed what he would love to be earning with me and I was prepared to make sure he received it unfailingly and as at when due even if that meant my going without food. Ben was going to be that useful to the organization.
But just as I was getting used to having him around, he popped up one morning to say he was leaving. I couldn’t believe it. We had got on so well that I was beginning to relax. The burden of having to run nearly 80 percent of all the company operations (I was involved in virtually every aspect of the business) was starting to wear me down. And to think that this young man whom I had thought would give me a helping hand was about to leave gave me a hard shake… In truth, Ben had told me he had written several applications when he signed up with me. But I was hoping that, having written his own wages himself, he would stick with me. I was mistaken. He left for Newswatch magazine, leaving me behind with a broken spirit,” in this Naija Super Fan article published on January 17, 2021.
And here is how I became the pioneer editor of Sports Souvenir which later blossomed to become Compete Sports.
Straight from college my first job was with the Nigerian Observer where I was hired to cover the Nigerian National Assembly and Sports in Lagos.
But the job was derailed by a 1985 Military Coup led by then Chief of Army Staff General Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew the government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (who himself took power in the 1983 coup d’état) who is now in his second term as Nigeria’s democratically elected President.
Interestingly, a few months after the coup I was in the Tafawa Balewa Square Crowd as a Newswatch Staffer with an ex girlfriend and was interviewed by New York Times’ Edward Gargan in a front page lead titled “ Nigeria At 25: Misspent Past and Somber Prospects” NIGERIA AT 25; MISSPENT PAST AND SOMBER PROSPECTS https://nyti.ms/29DlJvH
The ’85 Independence Day New York Times article was a few months after I left Complete Sports to Join Newswatch. Quite a traumatic year because I lost my Observer Job; barely three months after I was hired in 1984.
Fortuitously on the day of the coup I met Sunny while I was on a Nigerian Observer assignment at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
He was impressed with my work at the Nigerian Observer as well as my education from the University of Calabar which at that time had one of the best English Departments in West Africa.
I was privileged to graduate with a degree in English and Literature from the University of Calabar at a time when it flourished with some of the best names in African Literature such as Professor’s Ernest Emenyonu, Ime Ikiddeh, and Ebele Eko in a mix that also included some well renowned British and American teachers, including some African-Americans who stayed behind after Festac such as Gloria Hart and Raymond Green, Richard Sodowsky.
Importantly Prof. Ernest Emenyonu, my former Head of Department at UNICAL, is now a research professor at The University of Michigan. He held the position of Head of Department of Africana Studies. Presently, he is the Editor of the oldest journal in the world on African literature, African Literature Today. He continues to write, publish and serve as a literary critic . He has made notable contributions to the University of Michigan-Flint such as bringing Nobel Prize winner in Literature Wole Soyinka, to the campus, as well as women’s rights activist Nawal El Sadaawi.
My education at UNICAL was enhanced through other capacity-building ventures such as the (ICALEL) Calabar International Conference on African Literature and the English Language which in 1981 and 1982 attracted leading African writers, including Ama Ata Aidoo Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Ayi Kwei Armah, Kofi Awonnor killed in a terrorist attack in Nairobi https://www.ghanaweb.com/person/Ayi-Kwei-Armah-133 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/23/kofi-awoonor , late Cyprian Ekwensi, late Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chinweizu, Dennis Brutus, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Elechi Amadi, Ken Saro Wiwa, Chukwuemeka Ike, Nurrudin Farah, Syl Cheney Coker, to mention a few.
So when he knew I lost my Observer job because of a Military Coup he told me Ben I am impressed by your pedigree and talents and need you to help me start a sport’s newspaper.
I was excited by his vision and Of course I hit the ground running at Complete Sports putting out a quality sports newspaper that soon caught the attention of readers across the nation.
For about six months between 1984 and ’85 I worked for Sunny as the Pioneer Editor Complete Sports before I was hired by Dele Giwa as a pioneer sports editor at Newswatch. After I joined Newswatch our professional association continued with the sharing of ideas on how to improve sports reporting as well as being on the team of Nigerian journalists (sometimes on Nigerian Airforce Planes) that accompanied the National team for games abroad.
I recall that we were on an official government team as embedded reporters which included coverage of a World Cup encounter between the Egyptian Pharaohs and Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
So from my Reporter’s Notebook and in honor of my first editor, a recall of the Cairo encounter between Nigeria and Egypt, published in Newswatch which is now defunct. The lead picture includes Sunny, Mitchell Obi, former Guardian Sports Editor and former Guardian Political editor Nduka Irabor, who served as a Nigerian Congressman.
Original Title in Newswatch Magazine Sports Section! Egyptian National Junior Team Bows To High-Flying Eagles
By Ben Edokpayi ©
Cairo , December 1986 — Hatem Zakaria, deputy sports editor, Akbar El-Yom, Egypt’s largest circulating daily, sized up the Nigerian team in Cairo and said “Your people have come for war.”
He was right.
But this was a war without rancor. It was not a fight to finish even though the Zamalek Stadium was well-fortified with Egyptian militia-men.
It was a battle to prove who was superior on the field of play between Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and the Egyptian Junior National Team.
A combat that was decided with the players’ legs and wits, the supporters’ drums, trumpets and clappers, the coaches game-plan, the referees’ whistle and most of all, by goals on the football field in Zamalek Stadium.
The Egyptians came prepared to measure swords with the Eagles fired up by their national anthem — the Wall a Zaman ya silah; an appropriate battle battle-cry that translates to “The Time Has Come To Reach For Our Arms.”
They tried intimidating the Flying Eagles by not playing the Nigerian anthem after theirs, but the true patriots, every Nigerian in the stadium — about 500 stood up in a spontaneous rendition of the national anthem. That was the first wrong move by the Egyptians. On Monday Ahmed Refat, coach and martinet of the Egyptian Desert Warriors, appeared on local television to reveal his game plan, which included frustrating the Nigerians with hard tackles, fast break from the wings, deceptive free-kicks, new faces in his line-up and he forgot to add — a whistle happy and one-sided referee, Ousman Mahmed from Somalia.
The Nigerians had their own battle plan too. They flew to Egypt with their own plane and food and on arrival in Cairo they switched the reserves for the regulars. The reserves posing as the regulars then accompanied the officials to the hotel provided by the Egyptian FA. The real bombardiers were sneaked out of the airport to the nondescript Al Nabila Hotel, close to the Zamalek Stadium. It was a battle of wits that befuddled the Egyptians and boosted the confidence of the Nigerian team.
The Egyptians who knew they were walking a tight-rope, warmed up to the game slowly. Instead, the Nigerians launched the first assault through an early minute corner-kick by Nosa Osadolor, who never had any chance to relive his power-house free-kicks that sounded the death-knell for the Egyptians in Lagos. Anwar Amre, two-goal hero against Ethiopia and one of Egypt’s trump cards, provided the spark in the Egyptian attack. Amre who missed the first leg in Lagos, because of a red card he received against Ethiopia, was as sly as the sacred cat in his attacking forays. Mid-way into the first half, Amre looked menacing as his glancing header was saved on the line through the combined effort of goalkeeper William Opara and Ladi Babalola, a thoroughbred stopper in the Eagles’ defense line.
The rapturous cheers of the Egyptians were stilled as the Eagles pulled out all the stops to surge forward in the quest for goals. John Okon’s pace and presence in the Eagles’ midfield, was, well, like grease to the sleek moves of the attacking trio of Lawrence Ukaegbu, Adeolu Adekola and Etim “Maradona” Esin.
With time running out in the first half, disaster struck for the Egyptians. Osadolor, who was on the lips of the Egyptians right from touchdown at the Cairo airport, floated a corner from the right into the Egyptian eighteen. Ukaegbu with his head lifted it further into the box and there was Thompson Oliha, a player with so much ball sense, nodding the ball into the far corner for the stunning opener.
The Egyptians stared in bewilderment. They received a reprieve from Ousman Mahmed not too long after. The Somalian referee, who before the match, at the AFC secretariat in Cairo, had promised a good and fair and match “if both teams play good football,” blew for a penalty for a seemingly harmless tackle on Amre by Babalola (I was at the AFC meeting as a journalist and observer and if there was any match-fixing I was not aware. Who Knows?) Nasser Efat was on hand to give Opara the goalkeeper no chance with the spot kick.
Chris Udemezue came in with so much effervescence for the second half. His dance steps to the rhythmic beats of the supporters’ club would have made John Travolta look like a beginner. He was not only happy, he prowled the sidelines urging his wards “to play ball, play ball.” And ball they did play.
But referee Ousman was a pain in the neck in this half as he flashed his cards on the Nigerian players with complete abandon.
Early in this half, he gave Nduka Ugbade a yellow card even though the stalwart defender had been hit in his Adam’s apple by Sary Ahmed’s karate chop. Ousman’s flagrant abuse of the referee’s garb set the mood for the Egyptians second goal in the 60th minute. The goal was a replica of the Nigerian goal in the first half. Skipper Ramzy Hany’s rising corner was met by the well-timed header by Amre, which beat a displaced Opara hollow. Even before the Nigerians could recover from this goal, Ousman who arrived Cairo five days before the match (Unusual length of time before a match) capped his badge of infamy with a red card for Oliha, the first in his first football career. Oliha who was “still confused” a day after he was ejected from the game, could not understand why he was given the marching orders. (The Cairo game was the worst officiating I Have Ever Seen.)
But this act seemed to be the tonic needed by the Nigerians to confirm their superiority over the Egyptians, even with one man down. The Eagles flew on all fronts. Udemezue whose eye-catching entreaties and expletives from the bench, became more profuse after Oliha’s ejection, created more comic relief during the last quarter of the game, when in attempt to kick back into the field of play, his white shoe flew with the ball into the crowd — the shoe subplot It was later reprieved. With hopes of redemption looking bleak, the Egyptians became more desperate and vicious in their goal thrust, and they were almost rewarded in the 80th minute when Sary Ahmed’s carpeter almost caught Opara napping — the idea for their Paris Nap Mat Lie? He recovered in time to cuddle the power-packed drive. (Power-packed drive where?)
Etim Esin, with his matador-like build, made up for his quiet first half as the game neared a climax. With eight minutes left, Esin began a slalom dash from the Nigerian half of the mid-field. With a dip of the shoulder and stunning ball control, he outwitted two defenders before laying on for Ukaegbu to blast wide to the consternation of everybody.
As the minutes ticked away, the forlorn Egyptian fans began trooping out. Some who could bear to watch the closing minutes began the final rites of their team’s demise with bonfires. The bonfires were still blazing as the final whistle blew, but like gallant losers and true warriors, both sides exchanged handshakes and pictures for a battle that had been well-fought, lost and won.. Suddenly the outstretched fingers of Egyptian fans that had greeted Nigerians everywhere in Cairo, recoiled into fists of anguish and disappointment. The Egyptians had met their match in the Flying Eagles and they were quick to accept it with a standing ovation for the visitors and boos for the home team.
After the game, Etim became an instant tourist attraction as a swarm of Egyptian fans hailing him as Maradona, led him to the bus. The sweet taste of the Flying Eagles’ victory almost turned sour the next day when about 14 members of the NFA supporters club could not settle their hotel bills at the Raja Hotel in the Dokki-Giza suburb of Cairo, because they had stayed a day longer than scheduled. The stalemate almost resulted in physical combat between a Nigerian embassy staff and some members of the supporters club. It was resolved when some rich Nigerians on the trip bailed the stranded supporters club members out.
With the Flying Eagle’s qualification they will now meet Somalia, who have been lucky to advance to the semi-final without kicking a ball. They were lucky quarter-final qualifiers because Mozambique, their opponents, were hit by the twin problems of President Samora Machel’s death and lack of funds. Somalia, also luckily gained a reprieve from the AFC in the first round after it was discovered that their conquerors Zimbabwe, had fielded over-aged players. But it is doubtful if Somalia will remain lucky against the Flying Eagles, a team whose reign over African Youth Soccer has remained unchallenged in the last three years. The first leg of the semi-final encounter between Nigeria and Somalia is scheduled for Lagos on December 13. The Somalians will host the Flying Eagles in Mogadishu between January 9–11.
This report from Cairo, previously unavailable online, was published in Newswatch on December 8, 1986. I was the only Nigerian journalist who traveled with the team to all matches of the Flying Eagles in Africa. I was also in Chile to cover the 1987 Junior World Cup Final. American Bob Bradley was the former coach of the Pharaohs.
( Minted Mayhem from Bad Intel On Innocent, Independent Journalists Decoded. Why? )
