By Augustine Kalu on August 25, 2019

The Board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have expressed shock over the death of the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) and 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Oyuki Jackson Obaseki.

Chief Obaseki died on Sunday, August 18, 2019 in Benin City, the Edo State capital. The veteran football administrator had been sick for quite some time.

The Benin City High Chief left his giant footprints in the sands of time with his extensive work, passion and vision to take Nigeria League’s elite division to new heights. He was pioneer chairman of the body known as Interim Management Committee (IMC) which was inaugurated in February 2005, and which transmuted to the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) the following year and was the pioneer chairman.

In the words of the NFF: “A truly big tree has fallen. We remember very much the work that Chief Obaseki did to promote and projects the elite division of the Nigeria League during his time as chairman. It was difficult to match his passion and energy as he pursued his vision for an independent league body.

“We worked together at some point during the early days of the efforts to reposition the Nigeria Premier League (NPL). He took everything that needed to be done as a project and drove everyone else around him hard to play their own roles appropriately,” Acting President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister SeyiAkinwunmi said on Sunday.

Obaseki, known with the alias Moving Train, was also the Ohe of Bini Kingdom – a very high–ranking position in one of the oldest kingdoms in the universe.

As Chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), Chief Obaseki was automatically the 2nd Vice President of the NFF during the presidency of Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi – 2006-2010.

Reacting to the demise of the Edo State born football administrator, a member of the board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the longest and most successful club chairman in the country, Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu, poured encomium on the late NPL boss.

According to Anyansi, the man Obaseki meant different things to different people depending from where the said individual is looking at him from.

Speaking further, the Item-Abia State-born football administrator per excellence said Obaseki was a fearless man, who when he believes in a course can fight anybody that stands on his way, hence, he was called or nicknamed “The Moving Train”.

“Well, I must first and foremost commiserate with his family. I pray that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable lost,” Anyansi-Agwu began.

“The man Chief Oyuki Jackson Obaseki means a lot of things to different people. He was someone that is fearless. He was courageous and very focused.

“As a matter of fact, he was a strong will man, who sincerely wanted to change the domestic league and he worked very hard in ensuring that he achieved his aim for the league.

“The late Chief Obaseki was someone who when he believes in a course can fight anybody to achieve his set goal. He was a no nonsense man.

“He was someone who does not compromise on set standards. That is why those who knew him avoid incurring his wrath because they are aware of what he was capable of doing if he was provoked by not doing the right things.

“It was because of his stand on issues that he was tagged the moving train. This is because if you are stand on his way, he will certainly crush you in order to get to his destination,” Anyansi said even as he prayed for the repose of his soul.

•Photo shows late football administrator, Chief Oyuki Jackson Obaseki

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 25, 2019

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