Trabzonspor of Turkey striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu reportedly broke down in tears on Friday, after hearing about the death of his grassroots football development coach, Osahon Emokpae in Lagos.
The lanky attacker, who holds the record of Nigeria’s fastest goal ever, when he scored after just eight seconds against Egypt during his Super Eagles’ debut, was devastated on hearing the sad news.
To worsen the emotional trauma for Onuachu, whose Eagles’ debut was on March 26, 2019 in an international friendly at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, the hospital where Coach Osahon died in the early hours of Wednesday has allegedly refused to release his body.
Sources disclosed that nurses at the hospital, which is located along First Avenue in FESTAC Town, Lagos, are insisting on collecting an outstanding payment of N6m, which is said to have accumulated across several months of treatment for the hugely committed coach.
Ironically, it was gathered further that Onuachu, who played under Coach Osahon at Young Stars FC of Satellite Town, Lagos and moved with him to FC Ebedie of Sagamu, had reportedly spent over N5m on bills at a different hospital near Lekki for the highly respected grassroots tactician, who was at a point also the head coach at Enyimba Feeders FC of Aba.
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The vastly humble and articulate graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who was also a member of the coaching crew at National Grassroots Dream Team, had to be relocated to the hospital in FESTAC Town due to high bills at the facility in Lekki, but he ended up spending another three months bedridden after one of his legs was amputated.
Another source disclosed that family members of the late coach rallied round and gathered one million naira to bail his body from the hospital in FESTAC Town, but they insisted on collecting the outstanding N5m as well before releasing the corpse.
It was gathered further that the sordid development has left many grassroots football coaches, players, organisers and fans lamenting over the sorrowful chain of controversy trailing the death of a tactician who was well-respected during his life time.
It is on record that Coach Osahon, who was also the head coach at Velje Football Academy of Lagos, with which he travelled to Denmark and Germany for two youth competitions, was until recently the caretaker committee chairman of Badagry Division Football Association (BDFA).
One of the late coach’s associates revealed late Friday night: “Lagos State Football Association must do something about this unfortunate matter. It’s sad for this type of thing to affect someone who worked hard for the state.
“We know that he died in a private hospital, but they should also have human feelings and release his body unconditionally.
“We are all sad about his death. Even our national team player, Paul Onuachu is sad, because he spent so much to keep his mentor alive. He really tried, but see where his effort is ending.”
It was gathered further that officials of Nigeria Grassroots Football Federation (NGFF) have waded into the matter and promised to bring it to the notice of Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) chairman, Hajji Olawale Liameed, with great expectations of a better outcome this weekend.
