By Augustine Kalu on August 28, 2019

The Nigerian Football fraternity was thrown in mourning on Sunday when news filtered in that former member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and Anambra State Sports Council; Prince Isidore Oguejiofor Oduah, had joined his ancestors.

The news of Prince Oduah’s death hit those who know the man, who was the founder of Red Carpet Advertising, like a thunderbolt as it was unexpected since nobody heard that he was sick.

The Anambra State-born football administrator was once the chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club during the early stage and played a key role in ensuring that Nigerian football was taken to greater heights.

The news of Prince Oduah’s death was broken by no other person than his daughter, Princess Gigi Ola (Nee Oduah), an engineer by profession, when she called one of Prince Oduah’s bosom friends, Sir Victor Enyinnaya, a veteran sports journalist. It was gathered that the late experienced football administrator went into coma last week Monday, and joined his ancestors in the wee hours of Sunday.

The late Prince Oduah, who had the privilege and honour of presenting the then NFA’s gift item to the world’s greatest footballer ever, Edson Arantes do Nascimento alias Pele, when he first visited the country in 1967, was the first Advert Manager of PUNCH and Concord newspapers.

It was gathered that Prince Oduah’s corpse has been deposited in the mortuary pending when his family will make public the burial arrangement in his native Ochuche, in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It is recalled that Oduah lost his half younger brother, Prince Frank Oduah, on the 15th of September, 2017 just few days after paying him a visit at his residence in Ikeja. The death of his younger brother was a devastating blow to the elder statesman as, according to him, both of them were so close, hence the effect of the sad news of his demise. It is equally recalled that Prince Oduah had earlier suffered the loss of his younger daughter, the wife of the former Nigerian Military Attaché to Asia, Maj. Gen Aliyu (rted). 

Meanwhile, those who know or worked with the late Prince Oduah have expressed their shock over the death of the veteran football administrator. Former national team captain and coach, Christian Chukwu, expressed shock on hearing the news. According to Chukwu, the late Ochuche Prince was his boss both at Enugu Rangers and at the national team. He described him as his father, saying that Oduah was a member of the management of the Flying Antelopes and Executive Board member of the then NFA led by late Sunny Dankaro.

His words: “Are you talking of my former boss, Prince Isidore Oduah? The former member of Anambra State Sports Council? The former board member of the then Nigeria Football Association? You have ruined my day with this sad news.

“This is not the type of news that I expect to hear today. I never heard he was sick. Was he sick? What really happened?

“What killed the founder of the Red Carpet Advertising? I am saddened with this bad news. He was so handsome that we used to describe him as a beautiful man. He had the best of dress sense. We used to admire him because he used to be at home with us both at the club level and at the national team level. He believed so much in Enugu Rangers. His service was selfless.

“He contributed a lot to the development of Nigerian football in particular and Nigerian sports in general as he was first and foremost a sports administrator with very strong bias in football administration. He was a part of the golden era of Enugu Rangers. He was in the management team of the late Nze BCN Nzenwa that made Enough Rangers a household name not only in Nigeria but on the continent. He used to be very friendly with us (players) both at the club and at national team level.

“Nigeria Football has lost one of the best administrators. It is my prayer that God will give his wife and the entire family members the fortitude to bear the Irreparable lost.  And may his gentle soul rest in peace in Jesus name...Amen.”

While reacting to his death, the Publisher of Vanguard, a veteran journalist and personal friend of the late Prince Oduah, Sam Amuka Pemu, could not believe that his friend has gone and started asking what he was still doing here on earth when most of his friends and mates have gone to the other side.

He said: “Victor, don’t say that. I hope this is not true. Don’t say this on the street of Ashkelon. What happened? Was he sick? What am I still doing here when my contemporaries and friend have gone to the other side to go and meet with their makers?

“I was Prince Oduah’s friend. Our friendship does not stem from the fact that we were mates but because he was one person who calls a spade by its name. Not only that, we were friends because Oduah had the highest dress sense. You can never fault his dress sense. He was a good dresser. This sad news has hit me below belt if I should borrow a leaf from the sports people.”

When the news was broken to the Chairman of Sports Veterans Association, Mr. Jonathan Ogufere, he broke down as the late Oduah was a member of the association. The demise of Prince Oduah was too much a shock for the elder statesman to stomach.

Equally saddened with the news of the death of Prince Oduah was veteran sports journalist and football administrator, Paul Bassey. He said he would be monitoring developments to know when the late Prince Oduah would be buried to enable him pay his last respects to him. 

•Photo shows late veteran football administrator, Prince Isidore Oguejiofor Oduah

Source Daily Sports

Posted August 28, 2019

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