On the 12th of August, 1989, while he was playing for Nigeria in a 2nd round World Cup Qualifier match (Group C, Italia World Cup) against Angola, Samuel Okwaraji slumped on the pitch and died immediately.
It was 77 minutes into the match. Right there, in front of 20,000 Nigerians at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the Green Eagles were thrown into disarray while the Palancas Negras of Angola forgot the competition and joined in the futile attempts to revive him.

His body was then taken to the National Stadium Clinic where he was covered up, and from there to the General Hospital. The thousands of Nigerians who came to cheer him to glory left the stadium under a dark cloud of grief. Many would never forget that ominous day. It was just about 10 minutes to the final whistle. Okwaraji was 25. Autopsy revealed he died from high blood pressure-induced congestive heart failure (which occurs when the heart is unable to provide sufficient pump action to ensure enough blood goes round the body).
His heart was discovered to be enlarged-not a good sign in medicine. Okwaraji literally played his heart out for Nigeria.

He had just signed a $500,000 contract with Berchem FC of Antwerp, Belgium.

The Green Eagles on that day, apart from Okwaraji, were:

-David Ngodigha
-Augustine Eguavoen
-Stephen Keshi
-Sunday Eboigbe
-Obobaifo Osaro (now of blessed memory)
-Ademola Adesina
-Uchenna Okafor (now of blessed memory)
-Humphrey Edobor
-Samson Siasia
-Etim Esim
-Dahiru Sadi (substituted Edobor in the second half) Nigeria won the match: 1-0.

But we lost the gallant Okwaraji. Forever.

That fateful day in the newly-refurbished stadium, one of the very last people that Okwaraji (he made the national squad in 1988) met and spoke with was David Ngodigha, a former goalkeeper for Nigeria and later the coach for Bayelsa United FC.

They were both in the Nigerian national team and were roommates at the Seoul Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in 1988 while both of them were playing under German coach Manfred Hoener and Clemens Westerhof of the Netherlands.

However, their friendship was forged long before they started playing for Nigeria. He was with Okwaraji before the ill-fated match and narrates: “I had known Sam way back while I was in Port Harcourt. But our paths really crossed during the Olympic qualifying games for Seoul ’88. We were roommates then and with Sam you can hardly find a dull moment because he is, sorry he was a down-to-earth person.”

Then he stated that shortly before the match, Sam, who was known for his calm and friendly character became a bit aggressive. On the morning of the match, he shouted at one of the staff in their hotel and that gave him serious concern: “Since I knew Sam, I had never seen him in that mood before and I must say I was so disturbed because this was a man that will allow nothing disturb him before, during or after any match. And suddenly Sam started telling how important the game against Angola was. And he kept talking about the game and this was quite unusual because instead we will joke and then he will call his Italian girlfriend, who I knew, on telephone and they will speak for about six hours.”

Then he added that may the late Sam was being emotional because of the nature of the match: “I think Sam was also mindful that he was going to play in Lagos for the first time coupled with the publicity that was built around him before the game.” “

Sam on that day seemed to know that he was leaving. So he told me in his exact words that ‘Iam perching on the scrotum of someone. That person wants to strike but he is being careful not to strike and miss.’

Back then I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. And he also warned me to be careful because he has done his best and might not be around for too long.”
He was later shocked when his Sam’s cousin came to pack his belongings in the hotel where they were staying (something he said had never occurred before) that Sam had instructed him to do just that before he died. Ndodigha later said of his good friend: ”He wasn’t just a roommate or teammate but a true brother.”

According to his brother, Patrick, when Sam died, he had life insurance from a Belgian firm but ‘because of his love, he did what I will call a capital mistake, he had a clause in his insurance policy in which he stated that if he played outside Europe and America, that he would lose his insurance cover. And that is exactly what happened because he died here. There was an insurance package that was done by Guinness place for that particular match but it was just a cover for that match, not a life insurance. It was worth N10,000. That was what we got. And nothing else.‘

His mother says of that sad day:
I didn’t know that my son had died. It was a mystery to me. Because when we were watching the match, the screen suddenly went blank and I was even abusing NEPA or was it NTA for cutting short such an important match. I started to see people running around and I was wondering what was happening. It was dark, you know it was in the evening whenthey were playing.
So I had to go in and sleep…I was even saying this Nigeria sef, this is a World Cup qualifier match and ….I slept. That night, by 7.30 pm, I woke up to see whether they had started the match again, what I heard was that (she pauses…) …….they are very sorry that……they announced his death….that he slumped and died….that was how I heard it…. It was so painful to me….he was a boy so close to my heart…he always knew what I wanted…he would come home and say Mummy, what do you want. He would ask me if I was well. He would take me to the hospital to the doctor that he just wanted the doctor to examine me, to do this and that. He did so many things to touch my heart. I lost him…and it was a terrible loss to me…because he loved me so much….and I so loved him.. The government indeed made promises to help me out with the care of my children when Sam died because he was the family’s provider but nothing was done. I was at home for a whole year and didn’t teach, receiving condolences from people all over Nigeria for the death of Sam who was multitalented, because I could remember he got a recommendation and congratulatory letter from the Korean government for one of his art works which was chosen as the best in a primary school art contest.” They brought him home to Enugu here where we lived from Lagos but before then they had told me to go to Umudioka and wait for them. My friends gathered here, markets closed, banks closed, offices closed, people lined up the streets in Enugu….he was given a lot of respect…and when they brought him, it was like a king, I had never seen such before….

[Source: .com]

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/08/12/today-in-history-samuel-okwaraji-died-24-years-ago/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=today-in-history-samuel-okwaraji-died-24-years-ago

The Nigerian govt should do something to honour this guy

footballbogger: The Nigerian govt should do something to honour this guy

Nigerian govt has done him so much ''good'' by forgetting him. Not a single national monument and/or place named after him. Meanwhile worthless politicians get immortalized before dey even die ...

This was on my mums 40th birthday and we were having a party.

Oh O(p)araji
Oh O(p)araji
Iwo nikan lowo baba
Iwo nikan lowo mama
Were were lo ge wan lo
Oge wan lege yaya.

Gone but not forgotten

I was just a kid then, but the memories of that Natiional tragedy still up there.

Respect to him. wonder if he has been immortalized by the Fed Govt?

We used to sing this song *singing*
Sam okwaraji was a player as he was playing he fell and died Sam okwaraji he died while he was kicking the ball inside the net.
Keep on resting in peace man

"The labour of our heroes past,shall never be in vain".................as dem 4get this true hero,na so we go 4get dem looters.

Dey shld declare tomorrow a public holiday to celebrate him

That story is too long nah,nice knowing.

Maxymilliano:
Nigerian govt has done him so much ''good'' by forgetting him. Not a single national monument and/or place named after him. Meanwhile worthless politicians get immortalized before dey even die ...

I expect Imo state government to take the first step by immortalizing Sam Okwaraji since he's from Imo State and Orlu in particular. I don't mind if Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri is renamed after him.

footballbogger: The Nigerian govt should do something to honour this guy

The Lagos State,Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, presented thesum of N1million to Mrs. Jane Okwaraji, the mother of the late
Super Eagles star, Samuel Okwaraji, who died on 12 August, 1989,
while playing for Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier against Angola in
1989 at the National Stadium, Lagos.

The presentation of the N1m bank daft was done this morning, at
the late footballer's home in Umudoka Village, Orlu, Imo State, by a
representative of the Lagos State government, Ibrahim Muraina, and
Personal Assistant to the Commissioner for Sports, Lagos State.

http://www.enownow.com/news/story.php?sno=4498

^^^
The able governor was always ahead of others.

rest in peace

I remember that match vividly ,keshi scored the only goal through an header jumping above everyone,we were fighting for the top spot with cameroon.but is uche okafor dead or the op made a mistake ?
This particular match sam was all over the field. Immediately he fell down someone sitting beside me said that guy might die ,we all shouted at him that he was talking rubbish and that he was stupid .later on network news it was announced that sam was no more .very very very sad.

kindly visit the national stadium, you will find this statue there

Speechless

I see no reason why the National stadium in Surulere, Lagos shouldn't be renamed after him. Afterall, there's another National stadium in Abuja!

That Guy gave his Life for this country and he deservedly deserves to be immortalized!

***In Sir Shina Peter's voice***Eh Okwaraji, Eh Okwaraji, iwo nikan lomo Baba, iwo nikan lomo Iya...ti won ba n gba bolu lorun, ko ge won lege ara!

RIP

church Agbasa:
LMAO @rename Dan Anyiam stadium after Sam Okwaraji.Please how old are you?

Am old enough to be your elder sister. So what's wrong with my suggestion?

Abum numba 1
Abum numba 2
Abum numba thereee Taribo West.
Anam echeta Sam Okwaraji onye Naijiria
Nwuru onwu ike.
Kpa kpa kpa, kpa goalkepper, goalkepper wulie elu tie akwa oche!
Akwa m zuru oke onu
Myiri ya umu uwa ana ako m onu, aku akam!

Okwaraji was an average player with an undying passion for his country.
The way people talk about erecting monuments makes me think of whether he was a kind of Newton, Einstein, Faraday or Edison-people whose contributions helped change the world. I just think that his story being passed down and assuming a larger-than-life perception from one generation to the next is enough consolation. I feel for the bereaved mother who loved him so much. I feel for Umudioka people whenever I passed there from Orlu for losing a light that would have help in developping their community.

RIP T̶̲̥̅Ơ̴͡ The Legend.

There is nothing important to say now than pray for him to rest in perfect peace nd for family grant them the fortitude to bear d lost nd for 9JA to remember nd do necessary thing to d family left behind.REST IN PEACE samuel opwaraji.

Who started that India vs Nigeria 100:0 cøck and bull story. Choi! Who started it?

church Agbasa:
Uche Okafor died in January 2011 in his home in the United states.The media reported that he committed suicide.This was after dropping his daughter in school

Na wah oooo,I always thought he taking a coach course. May his soul rest in peace

.

RIP. Oh great Sam.Nigeria plz wake up immotaliz dis guy,,he was gud 2 remnba