One after the other, they fly away. The Green Eagles are depleting. The Nigerian heroes of 1980 are fast fading out.
Christian Chukwu, their chairman who became the first skipper to lift the then newly donated Africa Cup of Nations, is no more.
He departed just 20 days after the 45th anniversary of the historic 1980 feat.
His death, and that of another national teammate, Charles Bassey, has brought the number of passages to nine. Before Chukwu and Bassey, the dead ones are: Best Ogedegbe who was in goal, Muda Lawal, the scorer of the final goal, Okey Isima, Tunde Bamidele, Aloysius Atuegbu and Martin Eyo.
Thus only 13 of the 22 heroes of 1980 are alive. Even the coach, Brazil’s Professor Otto Gloria, has passed on. With the charismatic Stephen Keshi also dead in 2016, now two of Nigeria’s three Africa Cup of Nations captains are gone.
Not just Christian Chukwu, another hero of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Charles Bassey also passed last Saturday. The Nigeria Football Federation had to issue another condolence message, saying that the body is ‘deeply saddened’ by the death on Saturday of another member of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning Green Eagles squad, Charles Bassey. He was 71.
Bassey died after a protracted illness in his native town of Eket, Akwa Ibom State, hours after it was confirmed that the captain of that team, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwuemeka Chukwu, had passed on in Enugu.
“This has been a day of double tragedy, and the NFF and the entire Nigeria football fraternity are deeply saddened by the turn of events.
“We lost ‘Chairman’ Chukwu earlier in the day; now, we have to mourn Charles Bassey. May God Almighty grant their souls eternal rest,” NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said.
Forward Charles Bassey was in the 22-man squad that became Nigeria’s first Africa Cup of Nations champions, after a 3-0 defeat of Algeria’s Fennecs at the National Stadium, Surulere on Saturday, 22nd March 1980.
Afterwards, he coached various clubs within the country, including Calabar Rovers, home-town club Mobil Pegasus, BCC Lions of Gboko, Flash Flamingoes of Benin, Akwa United and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.
His death brings to nine the number of persons in that squad that have departed, following the passing on of goalkeepers Best Ogedegbe and Moses Effiong, defenders Christian Chukwu, Okechukwu Isima and Tunde Bamidele, midfielders Aloysius Atuegbu and Mudashiru Lawal and forward Martins Eyo.
