We warned Keshi over Eagles job, says close friend

The late Nigerian football legend Stephen Okechukwu Keski may have passed on, but his football legacies and memories are still fresh in the minds of many Nigerian football fans whose lives have been touched by his football artistry.

In an interview with Benson Ejindu, a US-based Nigerian sports philanthropist and bosom friend of Keshi, said he is still in shock over the demise of the ex Eagles captain, adding that when they first got the news of his death, some of his friends almost lost their breath.

 “It’s a big pity that our friend died just like that, his death almost sent some of us, his closed pals, to an early grave. When he was working 24hrs to get this Eagles job, we warned him of the danger in it but being a stubborn person he didn’t listen to us.

Today he is no more only, God knows how he met his death. But I must confess to you that some of us that are very close to him are still down, we still feel that our friend is alive and not gone yet. He left us devastated, most especially with his kids now living as orphans.

I have no apology to anybody to say that the problems in the Nigeria Football Federation contributed to his death. Yes accepted he was already out of the service before the incident happened if Keshi had not be sacked by those pack of fools managing our sports, may be he would still be alive who knows. He was treated badly you know and I know that his spirit will continue to hurt those that are responsible for his death,”

‘ Again I was made to understand that the Nigerian government did not play any meaningful role in his burial, you can see the kind of people managing the affairs of this great country called Nigeria. It is crazy to have a man that has served his father land with all his heart to be treated this way. These guys have no human feeling.

 Nigeria is not worth dying for, this is why some of our talented sports men and women go to other countries to better their career. This country is sick you know, we warned him to leave Nigeria football alone but he won’t listen, now that he is gone we just wish his soul eternal rest in the Lord.” Ejindu who stated that it is highly regrettable that Keshi’s children are now orphans, appealed to friends and well-wishers of the late football icon to rally round the children to ensure that they do not feel the impact of their father’s death too much.

“When I look at his children, tears begin to roll down from my eyes. Keshi was a great man, somebody that served his fatherland with every thing within him. Nigerians, friends, and everyone that like football and Keshi’s work must rise up to do something for the children he and his wife left behind.

 For Keshi, the ‘Big Boss’, he was a good guy and a good friend to us in the US. We would be missing him a lot. We still see him as someone that is still very much around, I cannot believe that he is no more, remembering the good times we had together in America.

 This country (Nigeria) is in a deep mess, we just need to get the right people who can help move it forward. In his days, Keshi dazzled us with his excellent football artistry, disarming smiles, friendship, patriotism and charisma.

 We in America have lost a great guy and he will forever be remembered by this nation. He was the greatest among his age, very hard to have someone like him,” he stressed.