The Lagos ’73 All Africa Games was tough for Nigerians male athletes who failed to win an individual gold medal in Track and Field. When Yaba Ochola was announced as winner of the Hammer Throw, the Lagos crowd thought the country was back on track.At the maiden Games, Brazzaville ’65, the men picked four gold medals.
It was a huge disappointment when Yaba turned out to be a Ugandan. There are Nigerians who bear that name and, of course, not far away from the National Stadium ,Surulere, is Yaba which is home to Rowe Park and an old Stadium built by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in Sabo.
Yaba Ochola and fellow countryman, John Akii-Bua, who won the 400 Hurdles metres were all smiles as two other Ugandans, Gabriel Luzira and Silva Ayoo, also won medals in the Hammer and 400m Hurdles. Even Mali and Senegal hit gold in Athletics. The best Nigerian men got was in individual events thanks to two silver medals by Aboyade Cole and John Okoro in the 110m Hurdles and Long Jump respectively.
This was a far cry from the golden efforts of Sam Igun[High Jump], Folu Erinle[110mHurdles], Eddie Akika [Long Jump] and Tony Oyakhire [Javelin] in 1965. Erinle and Akika even made it 1-2 in the Hurdles.
While the men flopped in Athletics, the women shone. They equaled the four gold medals won by the ladies in 1965. Modupe Oshikoya won three of the gold medals in Llong Jump, High Jump and 100m Hurdles. Evelyn Okeke took the Shot Put event. The silver medal went to Nnene Njoku, daughter of Prof. Eni Njoku, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.
At Brazzaville ’65, the winners were Jumoke Bodunrin [100m], Amelia Okoli [later Okpalaoka, Discus],H. Okwara [Javelin] and the 4x100m team. In 1973, another Okoli, Adaobi, could not equal her elder sister’s 1965 feat in Javelin. She finished with the silver medal. However, the Nigerian ladies emerged tops in Athletics with four gold, seven silver and two bronze medals.
The superstars of Lagos ’73 were the Ghanaian duo of Ohene Karikari and Alice Annum who won the men’s and women’s 100 and 200m respectively, giving their country four gold medals in the process. There was Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, Ben Jipcho and Charles Asati of Kenya, Mirus Yifter and Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia and, of course, Akii-Bua.
Yaba Ochola passed through Yaba severally in 1973. Sixteen years later, the Gabonese national soccer squad, Azingo, arrived Enugu to tackle the Green Eagles in an Italia ’90 World Cup qualifier. One player, Valerie Ondo, drew so much attention. Nigerians bear Ogun, Oshun, Oyo, Imo, Kano. Was this Ondo from Ondo? Fans wondered.
In Japan, there are so many Nigeria sounding names. At their World Cup debut, France ’98, Japan had a manager, Takeshi Okada. He was not known to have flown Chief Gabriel Igbinedion’s Okada Air.There is also an athlete called Akira Kano. That sounds almost like Aminu Kano.
Ehime is a Local Government in Imo State. One Japanese town also bears the name. Yokohama is full of Nigerians especially those from Edo State. The Japanese port city is often referred to as Edo in Nippon, Land of the Rising Sun. In earthquake prone Kobe, people visit a town known as Iwaya. There is Iwaya in the Yaba area of Lagos.
Hiroshima is known for the atomic bomb that destroyed it during the Second World War. General Olusegun Obasanjo only fought the Civil War which came over two decades later. Today, OBJ lives in Ibarra, Abeokuta. In Hiroshima, there is a place called Ibarra. Many Nigerians talk about the high sounding name of Ogori Magongo, Kogi State. Check out Ogori in Yamaguchi, Japan.
Omole Layout is a high brow area in Ogba, Lagos. Kenya once had a basketballer named Sam Omole. In The Congo, there was a footballer, Ruffin Oba. He is yet to visit the Rojenny Games Village, Oba in Anambra State. Oba played in Gabon, for Mangasport and knew Valerie Ondo.
Dogo is a name commonly used in Northern Nigeria. In 2002, Chairman of the Nigeria Referees Assocuiation [NRA], Col. Dogo Yabilsu, was in Japan for the Mundial. Dogo is a small island in that Far East country.
Someday, Yaba Ochola, will be invited to Okada, Edo State, to train Igbinedion University students in Athletics. It will be little surprise if someone takes him to Ibarra, Abeokuta to see President Obasanjo. Unfortunately, the road to Ehime is in a sorry state and sad enough, Okada stopped flying to Kano long ago.
