Hard tackling defender Bright Omokaro started as an offensive midfielder. In 1973, he was confronted by AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq who today sits in Ilorin as governor of Kwara State.
Abdulrazaq represented the Kwara State Junior Football team at the First National Sports Festival, Lagos ’73. Omokaro played for Mid – Western State. The Kwara team camped at Igbobi college alongside their Benue Plateau counterparts.
AbdulRahman, born in Zaria had relocated to Demonstration Primary School, Ilorin , just behind Baboko, another school. His dad, Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, the first Northern Nigerian lawyer, was also a First Republic Minister.
In the field of play, he was as rugged as Omokaro and not many knew that a big man’s son could be so tough. Also in the Kwara Junior Team (Under 13) team to the Sports Festival were Gbadebo Bukoye, Toyin Adisa, Kayode Abdulwahab- Omotose and Sule Ibrahim Gegele.
Others included Musa Alaro, Moshood Omolomo, Jimoh Kesington, Segun Adetoye, Adisa Lokeloke, Lanre Durisinlorun, Wahab Centre- Igboro, Baba Ijebba, Lateef and Rasheed.
At the end of the day, Omokaro smiled last as Kwara lost 3-1 to the Mid- Westerners. One other rugged defender that played as a junior, Donald ‘ Stone’ Igwebuike, won bronze with East Central State, managed by Chukwuma ‘Its a Goal’ Igweonu.
All the players progressed to pursue their dreams. Omokaro continued with football, playing for Insurance, New Nigerian Bank, ACB and Shooting Stars. He was a Green Eagle for over a decade and was nicknamed 10-10 at the Maroc ’88 African Nations Cup.
Igwebuike played for Rangers, joined the Eagles but his father chased him away. Stone flew to the United States and became an American Football superstar.
AbdulRazaq went into full time business and became a big player in Oil and Gas. Eventually, politics snatched him. His Excellency lives in Government House Ilorin.
Kwarans are happy that Ilorin will soon become the destination point for soccer lovers. Kwara United have been registered for the 2022/ 2023 CAF Confederation Cup.
The Ilorin Stadium has not met CAF standards yet but fans are so sure that their governor will bring international soccer back to the state.
An Anonymous Offa man sent a message.
He said: “The Ilorin Stadium needs natural grass not synthetic pitch. Ilorin, due to our clement weather and serenity of life, can host Eagles and Falcons matches.”
I follow Ilorin bumper to bumper because my elder brother, Chinaka, was at Government Secondary School, Ilorin. It was through a Scholarship Exchange Programme between the East Central State and Kwara State governments.
Ajie Ukpabi Asika and Brigadier David Bamigboye worked it out and it was great. That was when when the country worked.
Asika and Bamigboye married wives whose names were Chinyere. Beatrice Chinyere Asagwara, who got married to Lt. Bamigboye in 1962 hailed from Uzoagba in what is now called Imo State. Chinyere Asika was an Ejiogu, from Egbu in Owerri.
The Bamigboyes got married in Zaria at the time the AbdulRazaqs lived there . Best man was Lt. Alani Akinrinade. The wedding reception was chaired by Brigadier Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi.
In 1966, AbdulRazaq drafted a letter on behalf of the First Republic ministers as General Ironsi assumed office as Head of State.
The Ilorin Stadium was conceived by Bamigboye, as the first governor of Kwara State. The Omu Aran officer was succeeded in 1975 by Ibrahim Taiwo.
Taiwo was assassinated by troops from 26 battalion, Ilorin in 1976. An acting governor, Maj. John Adedipe, was appointed since the the battalion commander, Lt. col Joe Madugu was detained following the coup.
Adedipe steered the caterpillar that performed the ground breaking ceremony. Col. Agbazika Innih took over from Adedipe. There was continuity because Director of Sports, Mr. G. B. Oladipo remained.
Innih, an Etsako planned big. He brought Chief Abraham Ordia, a fellow Mid- Westerner, of Esan background and Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa( SCSA) as Consultant, to meet global standard.
Innih budgeted 31.5 million for the magnificent stadium. It was supposed to cover the whole of Oke – Erin down to the riverside. Yes, the idea was to add Canoeing and Rowing.
Behind that was a tactical plan to keep athletes in camp because anyone that broke camp had to swim across to escape. Innih was a Third Marine Commando.
Most of the land belonged to Alhaji Saadu Alanamu, the Balogun Alanamu of Ilorin. Innih received tremendous support from one of his Permanent Secretaries, Alhaji Habibi Angulu Sani.
Some powerful sons of the soil were not on the same page with their governor. They used the media against him. The budget was slashed to 18.5 million naira. Innih did not like that. His grandiose plan was to build a stadium that could host 20 to 26 sports at the same time.
Brig. Godwin Alabi- Isama, from Ikilibi in the Ndokwa part of Mid- West and Innih’s commando superior, intervened. His mom was of the Balogun Gambari ruling house and he had joined the Army in 1960 with Bamigboye and Akinrinade as an Ilorin man.
The Bulgarian contractors felt shortchanged because some facilities they were to install had to be dismantled.
That is the story of the Ilorin Stadium and succesive governors played their part. Ibrahim Alkali constructed the Olympic size swimming pool. Salaudeen Latinwo did some open roof extension which was covered by Bukola Saraki.
Col Peter Ogar chose Kwara United as the name of the State team after buying the slot of Exide, Ibadan. The best from the State was Alyufsalam Rocks, Challenge Cup finalists in 1976.
Water Corporation, Midland Stores, Super Pioneers, Utility and Bombers did not go international.
Kwara United debuted in the CAF Cup in 1999. All went well when Dr. Ayodeji Ayo- Bello worked with Saliu Ojibara, Kayode Abdulwahab- Omotose, ex- footballers, former referees Gobir and S.T. Olanrewaju and Chief Fidelis Okoh who galvanised the Igbo population.
The team got as far as the quarter finals before slumping to Zamalek. Kwara United were knocked out in the first round of the 2007 Confederation Cup.
So much is expected from governor AbdulRazaq. The Chairman of the Kwara Sport Commission, Kale Magaji played squash for Nigeria. The Secretary, Dr. Steve Olarinoye played good soccer and was once Head of International Department of the NFA.
Olarinoye played for GSS Ilorin with Col. Frank Omenka, Air Cdre Victor Aniagor, Frank Odiachi and Razaq Bello.
I was told that the stadium is in bad shape,” Mr. Governor should not allow the pitch to host political and religious events. The fence by the Yidi Praying Ground has collapsed.”
However, the squash court is world class and the table tennis court fine. The gym is bad for Kwara Falcons basketball team.
One of my Igbo friends said Ndigbo in Ilorin know what the governor can do and they are ready to offer Kwara United the usual support. The governor’s mom was born in Aba. The dad grew up in Onitsha.
Nigerians are expecting a different Kwara United under governor AbdulRazaq. I am glad I will soon visit Ilorin to watch good soccer. I will try and drag Stone Igwebuike from the United States and bring Omokaro 10-10 from Ibadan.