You do well, President Chukwu

One of the best players that emerges from the ashes of the 30 -month Nigerian civil war, Christian Chukwu, died on Saturday 12 April 2025.

He replied to his final evocations after fighting with the challenges of health, one of which was prostate cancer. The disease has tormented him for a few years. When he was out of control, the philanthropist and fans of football, the head of the Femi Otedola, ran to his rescue a few years ago and made him fly to London for medical care. That singular gesture added a few more years to his life until his defensive skills failed him when the last Terminator has made his way into his territory.

Christian Chukwu broke out in the limelight just four years after the civil war that ended in 1970 when he joined the main football team in the current South-East, the Rangers International Football Club of Enugu. He affirmed himself as a brilliant central defender and, in no time, he was given the responsibility of leaving the team. His companions included goalkeeper Emmanuel Okala, Dominic ‘Alhaji’ Nwobodo, Dominic Ezeani, Mathias Obianika, Ernest Ufel and Stanley Okoronkwo.

His ability to put his teammates from his defensive position in his sea soon earned him the sobriquet of the president of the deceased radio commentator Ace, Ernest Okonkwo, and attacked himself to him as a leems during his career as a player at the club level and nationals who spanned near a decade and half.

For the period in which he starred for the Rangers, he inspired them to conquer the National League Division One trophy for a record five times and five times as winners of the prestigious challenge cup. President Chukwu has never been known to have never flirted with any other club other than the International Rangers during his player career.

In 1975, he led the Rangers to win the silver medal of the African football championship. He also inspired the club at the Trionfo of 1977 in the

Cup championship of winners of the African Cup. At the national level in which he also led the Green Eagles, he was part of the winning team of the bronze medal led by the coach Father Tiko at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations tournament organized in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which presented iconic players such as Kunle Awesu and Baba Otu Mohammed. The duo was crowned as the best wings at the tournament.

His football career came to an apogee when he led the Green Eagles to the first victory in Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Nigeria in 1980. Chukwu was missing the opportunity to crown his career with an appearance of the World Cup when the Green Eagles fell defended, with their Tunisian counterparts in an African counterparty in an African counterparty in an African counterpart. Counterparty of Guogo di Guveo, in a counterpart by Guogo by Guveo, in a counterpart by Guogo di Guogo. This has withdrawn it from the national team and delivered his illustrious career to the abamy dustbin.

For those who followed his career in the 70s, Chukwu was in the same class as some defenders of the global center who were a pleasure to look at. It was in his club and in the countryside what Bobby Moore was in West Ham/Fulham and in England; Franz ‘Kaiser’ Beckenbauer to the FC Bayern Munich and Germany; Michel Platini as Nancy/Saint Etienne and France and, at home, Ismaila Mabo with powerful jets and green eagles. All the players listed here were admirably calm and composed on the ball. They played with the vision and therefore it was never easy for the attackers to overcome them. They were natural sweeps. I have never stopped comparing Beckenbauer with Mabo. If Beckenbauer has been nicknamed Kaiser or the emperor, Mabo also had the marshal of the field as his epithet or “idi mashal” by his illiterate admirers. ‘Idi Mashal’ is a homophone for the marshal.

After retiring from active football, Chukwu decided to embrace coaching as a subsequent level of his career. In 1986, he attended the Brazilian Coaching Academy and immediately followed a coaching FIFA/Coca Cola coach in 1987. Two years later, he went to Germany to obtain a higher diploma in western Germany. In 1992, he attended a CAF upper diploma coaching course and another coaching CAF/NFA coaching course in 2002. Twelve years later, he was in attack with the Bolton Football Club of England.

His coaching career began in 1982 when he was appointed head of the club coach who brought him fame, the Enugu Rangers International. He was at the helm for two years. In 1984, he was taken to the national scene to work with the U-17 national team that won the Maiden Fifa/Kodak World Cup Championship in South Korea.

He was remembered at the Rangers International Football Club and served between 1986 and 1988. When Clement Westerhof was contracted to manage the Super Eagles in 1991, Chukwu was made his assistant and together, they led Nigeria to his final apparition of the World Cup in the United States in the United States ’94.

After the assignment of the World Cup, he was hired to train an One One Division Club, Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC of Owerri between 1995 and 1996.

In 1997, his exploits attracted a club outside the banks of Nigeria. He worked as head coach of a division club 1 with headquarters in Lebanon, Safa FC for two years.

Between 1998 and 2000, he was engaged by the Kenyan football federation to manage the Senior National Team, the Harambee’s stars during which he brought the team to the final of the 1998 Secafa Cup. After the tour in Kenya in 2000, he returned to the Rangers International FC and served for two years.

Having collected more experience inside and outside the country, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) committed him to manage the Super Eagles between 2002 and 2006. His mandate was a lot of mixed luck of successes and failures.

In 2003, he led the Super Eagles to conquer the Unity Cup in London and also a bronze medal in the CAP Cup Cup tournament in Tunisia in 2004. His performance at the 2006 Nations Cup finals organized in Egypt was a disaster. His loss in the group stage reported the end of his love story at national level.

His successes have gained a series of honors. Among these are members of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) for his successes in football; Member of the Niger Order (MON) for the 1980 Nations Cup company; Award Sportsman of Enugu Rotary Club and State Sportsman Award of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Swan).

The disappearance of Chukwu further exhausted the team that brought glory and fame to the country by winning the first AFCON for Nigeria in 1980, four years after a triumph of bronze medal in Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. His partner in the 1980 team, Charles Bassey, also left the scene last Saturday, at the age of 71, after a prolonged illness like its president. It was three years younger. The first AFCC trophy was won about 45 years ago, which means that most players who are still alive must be in the balance around 70. How time flies! Those who went in front of the president did not arrive on the 6th floor, except Moses Effeiong, 66.

The midfield master Mudashu Lawal was the first to eliminate. It did not reach 40; He died at 36. Tunde Bamidele died at 44; Eyo Martins at 46; ALOY BLOCKBUST ATUGBUB at 55; The best 55 Ogedegbe and Okey Isima at 57 years old. Remember that Eyo Martins has been murdered. He escaped the protracted illness that has been a Lot of the set 80. The surviving members includes segun ‘mathematical’ odegbami, justice Adokiye Amiesimaka, Felix ‘Owoblow’ Owolabi, Emmanuel ‘Man Mountain’ Okala, David Adiele, Arthur Ebunam, Johnny, Johnny Orlando, Henry Nwosu, Frank Ondwuachi, Henry Onyedika and Shefiu Mohammed.

Many Nigerians have asked for the immortalization of Christian Chukwu. It should not receive the treatment of Sam Okwaraji. The Patriot par excellence gave up the ghost as he starred for Nigeria against Angola during the duel of the finals of the Italian World Cup of the 90s on 12 August 1989 at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Everything that the federal government could immortalize him was the erection of a miserable appearance bust that welcomes you to the stadium, now in Desuetude, where he lost his life. The federal government can do better for President Chukwu. For example, Muda Lawal is remembered today in her hometown with the Ashero stadium has renamed Muda Lawal Stadium.

While we suffer from this end, its creator grant his delicate eternal soul and his family, as well as millions of Nigerian football fans to endure the painful loss.

Rest, our president. When you arrive on the other end, the god of football should assign you a role that adapts to your status.