Title: Odyssey of A Green Eagle; From the Pitch to the Summit
Author: Dr. Patrick Ekeji
Publisher: Prestige
No. of pages: 185
Reviewer: Peter Edema
Odyssey of a Green Eagle-From the Pitch to the Summit ; is the story of a man-Dr. Patrick Ekeji.
In this beautifully narrated memoir, Ekeji relieves his journey as a sportsman from the football pitch to the summit of sports administration in Nigeria . From his humble beginnings in the playground of the Obalende Barracks, through the playing fields of Mbaise and Owerri at the height of the Nigerian Civil War, winning the Adebajo Cup as a schoolboy in the legendary East Central State Academicals team of 1971- Ekeji regales the reader with short vignettes from a life of service to sport and human endeavor.
The 185 page book is divided into four parts.
Chief Dr. Patrick C. Ekeji DG – National Sports Commission
The first part, headlined destiny; deals with his early life, from primary school to secondary school at the famous St Gregory Obalende. The advent of the civil war ended his sojourn at Obalende as he had to relocate to Port Harcourt . His stay in Port Harcourt was short lived as he was sent to the village as a result of the civil war.
His brief stint with the Biafra Air Force was also captured. After the civil war he continued his education at the Holy Ghost College where he wrote his HSC and eventually joined Vasco Dagama as a footballer, and eventually how he made it to the Green Eagles in 1975.
His university education at the University of Nigeria Nsukka limited his appearance for the Green Eagles revealing that his saddest moment in his playing career was being a member of the team that lost 1-0 to Tunisia 1-0 and subsequently missed being part of the Eagles that would have played at the FIFA World Cup.
His resolve to graduate in 1978 against all odds was why he refused to be part of the Green Eagles to both the Nations Cup in Ethiopia and Ghana in 1976 and 1978 respectively. His outspokenness was why he had to quit Eagles team that was preparing for the 1980 Nations Cup that Nigeria hosted and won.
He also dwelled on his coaching career that started with his failed effort at qualifying the Green Eagles for the 1986 Nations Cup losing the two legged match 1-0 to Zambia and later moved to UNTL FC of Kaduna before ending his coaching job at ACB of Lagos.
Part two of the book, titled the Legacies, dwelled on the legacies he left as Director of Sports, Imo State in 1993 after quitting the coaching profession. A year after his return, his services were transferred to the federal government in 1994.
He was instrumental to the formation of the meeting of the Directors of Sports forum. Other legacies were naming the Owerri Stadium after Dan Anyiam, introduction of election into the state sports associations, the re-designation of national sporting associations as federations and subsequent introduction of elections.
He ensured the birth of the department of facilities at the National Sports Commission, the Team Nigeria concept, which was a funding platform for sports, the opening up of the omnibus Sports Development Department into five professional departments namely; Facilities, Stadium development and Maintenance; Grassroots Sports Development; Sports medicine, Sports Planning research and Statistics: Federation & Elite Athletes.
Part Three of the book, which dwelled on Contemporary Issues in Sports Development in Nigeria elaborated more on the constrains to sports development. His critical observation on the structures, systems and instruments with which sports administrators are expected to consistently produce results explains why Nigeria, despite its abundant talent and resources has continued to under perform at the world stage.
He puts it succinctly that the sector can only take off if the National Sports Commission, a body charged with the responsibility of developing the sector is equipped to perform that function. The commission, he said, was not only under funded but lacked the requisite personnel to achieve its objectives. Policy somersault is another factor.
The last part of the book is devoted to honouring past administrators, whose contribution to sports development were above board. We have the likes of Chief Henry Enyeazu, Isaac Akindayo Akinoye (both of blessed memory) and a summary of his experiences as a public officer.
In summary, the book while offering backroom insight, also presents solutions to the dilemmas that have dogged sports administration in the country. But Ekeji did not say much about his parents.
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