February 4, 2026 turned out to be a historic date for me, because it providrd me with the opportunity of a stark reminder that Nigerians still lack the ability to properly immortalise our heroes – we only give them a lot of hue and cry immediately after they pass, then we conveniently forget about them.
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That reality stuck me poignantly once again on
February 4th, 2026, I had the wholesome chance of seeing Samuel Okwaraji Stadium, Orlu physically for the first time. I had heard about its existence and even read in one of the online platforms years back that some football matches had taken place at the arena.
Among the matches that took place there happened to be home games for Heartland of Owerri in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), all of which painted images of bliss, bloom and boom in my mind about the arena … which I saw as the biggest legacy in memory of Okwaraji’s selfless service to our dear country.
I pictured the arena on the same level with Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa and Adokie Amasiamaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
They are all named in honour of both late and living legends. Sadly, while all other stadia named after our football stars are glowing in excellence, the same cannot be said about Samuel Okwaraji Stadium in Orlu, Imo State.
Someone may interject that dilapidating arenas are a common feature in Nigeria – a la Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Agege Stadium in Lagos, Surulere National Stadium in Lagos and Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan (which was recently dropped from hosting the Falconets’ match with Senegal on Saturday).
However, as bad as those grounds are, their unkempt levels are not as sordid as what I saw at Samuel Okwaraji Stadium this past Wednesday. You can see the rot of this arena right away – from the aged fence bordering the entire complex, weather beaten, begging for a new coat of paint, bricks broken in gaping shapes and weeds up to shoulder length all-round the circumference.
Ironically, instead of a stadium manager holding forte, along with grounds men, sports facility maintenance experts and people related with pitch matters, this stadium is occupied by officers of Orlu’s public policing vigilante force. They keep vigil on the ground all through the days, while warding off members of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN).
After several minutes of appeals and begging, the delegation I was with was eventually granted entry, and that brought to the fore the real state of desecration that the spirit of Sam Okwaraji is receiving at this place named after him … crumbling steps, broken pillars, potholed corridors, cracked seats, playing field turned into a wilderness, bush rats scampering frantically, windows turned into gaping holes and eerie entrances now standing where door frames used to be.
Such a sorry sight of sadness representing forgotten relevance of the ultimate sacrifice made by Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji on August 12th, 1989 … when he became the first Nigerian footballer to die while in action for the national team during the qualifiers for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.
Sadly, the Eagles could not even qualify for the competition, as Cameroon stopped them in the next stage of the qualifiers, and it appeared as if Okwaraji’s death had been in vain.
Nigeria’s football authorities seemed to eventually wake up when they erected a bronze bust of Okwaraji in front of Lagos National Stadium, but that marked the beginning of the end to honours befitting his sacrifice.
One cogent question that cropped up along the line was, ‘Why not name the entire stadium after him?’ That inquiry did not gain traction, so the ground remains largely unbranded and simply recognized as National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Then came the poser, ‘Why not give Okwaraji a big statue like that for Teslim Balogun in Surulere?’
Good questions, all of them, especially as I also recalled that many of us in the media made promises about maintaining the legacy of Okwaraji in our broadcasts, publications and activities for the memorial of his ultimate sacrifice in August of every year. Sadly, none of us (arguably?) has been able to keep those promises. We always forget to celebrate him on the exact date of his death, until someone reminds us two, three days later.
So, I told my colleagues – Afolabi Gambari and Victor Macdonald – during our visit to Samuel Okwaraji Stadium this past Wednesday that we in the Fourth Estate of The Realm should also be held accountable for desecrating Okwaraji in death.
Yes, we forget to eulogise him in our news reports, feature articles, documentaries and other media content. We fail to take up errant administrators who promise his family heaven and earth but never fulfill those promises.
All said and done, though, the bigger blame must go to his kith and kin. Apart from the stadium that has been left desolate in Orlu, even the star’s family home at Umudioka is now under lock and key. It has been so since the death of his mother over two years ago.
Someone said, ‘Why can’t they turn this place into a museum in memory of Sam Okwaraji?’ Good question. The answer to that poser and every other inquiry regarding the derelict stadium must come from who? Imo State government of course! So, Governor Hope Uzodima, over to you, sir. Please do the needful.
