Footballer Moses Otolorin’s Death: Wife says ,’’ My husband and I were like Siamese twins

More than two weeks after the death of a former football star, Moses Otolorin, the wife, family members and friends of the deceased are still finding it hard to come to terms with the reality.

Moses Otolorin was born about 67 years ago in Ile Kure Popo Gbona area in Ilorin. He was at various times footballer in clubs at Ilorin before joining the Shooting Stars in 1974. He also played for the Nigerian national football team, known then as the Green Eagles. He retired to join the Kwara Polytechnic Ilorin as Chief Coach and worked there until 2004. He died on December 22, last year, after battling with prostrate and anus cancer.

He was a household name in Nigeria in the early 70s while playing for various clubs across the country. He crowned his illustrious career by joining the Shooting Stars Sporting Club of Ibadan where he, along with other members of the club, won the Continental Cup for the country, the first time the nation would win the prestigious trophy.

At the deceased’s home in Ilorin, his widow, Mrs. Grace Otolorin was gradually coming to terms with the fact that her husband was no more.

She told the reporter that she missed her husband’s jokes even as she vowed to remain faithful with him till death.

She described him as a humble man, noting that she could hardly recall anytime they quarrelled or had any disagreement that lasted for a whole day since they got married in 1979.

Mrs. Otolorin said whether in Ibadan or Ilorin, the family was a model to so many people.

She said: “We were like Siamese twins. At times, when we were going to church, people would be calling us and making jokes, saying that these oldies are behaving as if they just got married yesterday. And we would just laugh over it.

“During his playing days, we used to fear for him, the way he committed his body to each game. And when he came home, I would help him massage all his body.

“He is so religious. At times, when I didn’t want to go to church, he encouraged me and we would go together. That was the type of person he was.”

One of the children of the deceased, Miss Abegbe Otolorin said her father was a godly person, even as she asserted that she would miss the prayers he offered every day for the family. She noted that being a caring father, even children in the neighbourhood milled round him anytime and he would always create time to play with them. She prayed that God would grant him eternal rest.

Speaking on the late footballer’s exploits, one of the deceased’s team-mates in the then Shooting Stars who is also a Kwara indigene, Amusa Adisa said Otolorin was a gifted player and kind-hearted gentleman.

“I was one of the players in the old Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan, former chief coach of the University of Ilorin, later goalkeeper trainer of Super Eagles. I’m now retired and into acting coaching, I was among the first set of staff of Kwara -State who came into Shooting Stars. He was part of the second generation of the Shooting Stars. He came into Shooting Stars in 1974 and he featured prominently for the club until I left in 1976. In fact, he was among the members of the Shooting Stars that won the first Continental Cup for the country in 1976. He was one of the leading scorers in those matches. Then he featured prominently for the Shooting Stars in the FA finals in 1975 when we lost to Rangers International. Before I left in 1976, he continued and he played so many other games for Shooting Stars. He was very prominent. He played with the national team before he came to Shooting Stars but that was very brief. I can’t say much about his national assignment.

He was one of our top strikers. He scored so many goals for Shooting Stars. We won so many matches with his long throws. He was law-abiding, very respectful, very disciplined and very friendly.

“I think he retired from football around 1989. Then he went into coaching. He became the coach of Kwara Poly, and then he retired in 2004.

“Yes, we met several times after our active football days. We went to Ibadan together when a commissioner was about to re-launch the Shooting Stars. That was about three years ago. We were together in Ibadan and we’ve been meeting at the stadium. I visit him often.

“When he retired from coaching as Coach of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, when you retire from active coaching and you become an ordinary person, it affects you a lot. That is one of those things that affected him. When he retired, he retired to his house and goes to church most of the time. Then occasionally, he comes to the stadium. That is all I know about him.

“If it had been now, with his shots, nothing would have stopped him from being an international player. He would have made the national team with ease because he had those abilities to take a defender on and make those goals. He scored several goals. In fact, there was a match he played in Enugu against Bendel Insurance in the 1975 semi finals of the FA Cup. There was a goal he scored. Before that goal, I said Ololorin had come with his useless shots. He kicked the ball about 35metres. He took this shot and the shot deflected into the net. It was a powerful shot which nobody could have done but he believed in himself and his ability to shoot at the post which he did and did well.”

Adisa supported the call for the establishment of a Special Trust Fund for ex- footballers. He noted: “It is a good development if we can do that and do it well and account for it very well. It will ease the problems of ex-footballers who, at the time of their retirement, have nothing to fall back on.

“But it will also serve as advice to other footballers that during our heydays, we should try and save for the raining day, so that when we retire, we will not be found wanting and we will not be suffering. It is this lack of funds, the lack of what to keep you going that starts bringing so many ailments in our system, and that shouldn’t be.”

The Kwara State Sports Writers Association (SWAN) described the death as shocking in view of his contribution to football. In a statement signed by its Secretary, Jimoh Bashir, the union said the death came at a time when the nation needed his services.

It urged the family to take solace in the fact that late Moses Otolorin lived a useful and purposeful life. The association also prayed God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss and grant the deceased eternal rest.

Written by Romlayi Olanrewaju