AFCON
IT’S 30 YEARS TODAY THAT NIGERIA’S GOLDEN VOICE OF SPORTS, ERNEST OKONKWO DIED
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Running sports commentaries on electronic media – either radio or television or even any digital platform has not been the same, not just in Nigeria, but Africa generally since 7 August 1990 when Ernest Okonkwo died.
It is 30 years today since the man who is easily the best sports commentator ever died. Undoubtedly he was the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T) in running sports commentaries.
The younger generation may not easily know his worth as they probably heard stories about him and may never have heard any of his commentaries before.
He is better appreciated by sports followers who are 50 years and above. His era brought out the golden generations of sports commentators from the country.
They include the pioneer, Ishola Folorunsho, Eddie Fadairo, Sebastian Ofurum, Kelvin Ejiofor , Tolu Fatoyinbo and Yinka Craig, among others.
The voice of Ernest Okonkwo can only be heard by those privileged to have made recordings while the legend was alive.
Incidentally, www.sportsvillagesquare.com gathered that even the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) where Okonkwo worked for 30 years cannot lay hold on most of the graphic commentaries that he ran while he was alive.
Aspiring commentators therefore have no ready-made material to fall back to for inspiration. The same applies to the works of other great commentators such as Ishola Folorunsho, Sebastian Ofurum, Kevin Ejiofor and Tolu Fatoyinbo among others.
That is yet another indication of poor documentation that has been the bane of development in Nigerian sports and other spheres of the country’s national life.
To later generation of sports followers in Nigeria, the name of Okonkwo may ring no bell. But to the older ones, Ernest Okonkwo represented the best in the running of sports commentaries on radio.
He was a master of descriptive language. Like Chief Segun Odegbami once remarked about the late sports commentator, Okonkwo was always conjuring words easily, effortlessly and aptly like a magician with his bag of tricks.
In the 1970s through 1980s, despite the preponderance of world class musicians across the globe, some sports addict considered Ernest Okonkwo’s commentaries more melodious to listen to than the best of music.
His voice was sweet to listen to and his brains were ever alert on issues he articulately commented on. His thoughts were organized and were often leading his listeners to logical conclusions.
The ways he articulated opinions on issues can make a university professor envious. Smart at arraigning similarly sounding words to make melodious logic. A case in point was a radio programme in which he was trying to figure out a possible remote cause of attacks on Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in a World Cup qualifying match in Ethiopia in 1997.
The violent reception of the Nigerian team was traced to an opinionated report in a Nigerian newspaper, which painted the Ethiopian side that earlier visited Nigeria as famished. Hear Okonkwo: “Our sports writers must learn not to incite out of excitement.”
Even his voice was melodious to listen to. His brains were ever alert and he seemed too informed on
So obsessed were some of his addicted followers that his radio commentaries were often recorded on tapes and played back, in place of music. There were lots for one to learn from his power of recall and tiebacks.
An influential sports commentator, Ernest Okonkwo was a wordsmith. His captivating football commentaries were made of simple, but fluent English.
Expert at coining words and new expressions, football commentary listeners on Radio Nigeria will remember his nicknaming of footballers like Segun Odegbami as ‘Mathematical’, Adokiye Amiesimaka as ‘Chief Justice’, Yisa Sofoluwe as ‘Dean of Defence’, Sylvanus Okpala as ‘Quick Silver’ or other expressions like “Christian Chukwu taking an ‘Intercontinental Ballistic Missile’ type of “banana shot”.
Such was the colour he added to football commentaries that spectators on football fields carried their radio sets glued to their ears even as they watched the matches.
Television viewers often switched off the audio volume of their sets preferring Ernest Okonkwo’s graphic description of proceedings on radio.
Often recalled is the rhythm of description of proceedings in an Enugu Rangers versus Raccah Rovers’ duel in the 1980s.
Hear him: “He beats Christian Chukwu; he beats Christian Madu; he beats Christian Nwokocha…he beats three Christians in a row! Who is this man? Oh! It is Shefiu Mohammed sending a diagonal pass to Baba Otu Mohammed”.
Recall his commentary of the proceedings of a Nigeria versus Tunisia World Cup qualifier in Lagos on July 6, 1985: “Okey Isima, with a short pass to Sylvanus Okpala. They both play in Portugal. They can communicate in Igbo; they can communicate in English; they can communicate in Portuguese and they ‘ve just communicated with the ball!”
Such was the power of his description and coinage of expressions that former national team left winger, Adokiye Amiesimaka was quoted in a publication as calling for the naming of the media tribune of the Abuja National Stadium after Ernest Okonkwo.
So much that one can easily conclude that the demise of Ernest Okonkwo on August 7, 1990 marked the death of apt sports radio commentary in Nigeria.
It was the end of a journey he began in 1957 when he joined the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), which he served for 33 years.
Okonkwo joined what is today Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria as programme assistant before being trained at Australian Broadcasting Commission between 1964 and 1965.
The man from Nando in Anambra-East Local Government Area of Anambra State was later made the Head of outside Broadcasts at the corporation.
French journalist Romain Molina has claimed that interference influenced proceedings in a high-profile case involving Morocco and Senegal, handled by the Confederation of African Football.
In a video clip circulating online, Molina rejected accusations that he holds anti-Moroccan views, insisting instead that the facts available to him point to developments that, at one stage, went against Morocco’s interests.
“I’m telling you, in the first instance, there was interference against Morocco… I stand by it,” Molina said, adding that his position is based on what he described as behind-the-scenes information.
Molina revealed the existence of a message allegedly sent by Augustin Senghor, President of the Senegalese Football Federation and a member of CAF’s Executive Committee, to CAF President Patrice Motsepe prior to the appeals committee’s decision.
According to Molina, Senghor expressed concern over reports of a “secret meeting” that was allegedly aimed at influencing the case in favour of Morocco and against Senegal.
The journalist argued that the message raises serious questions about internal dynamics within CAF, suggesting that Motsepe could not claim ignorance of tensions within the governing body if such communication had indeed been received.
Molina also pointed to what he described as a contradiction in Senghor’s position—raising concerns privately while remaining publicly silent on the alleged meeting.
“On one hand, he warns about a secret meeting… on the other, he does not come out publicly to explain what he knows,” Molina said, questioning why such claims have not been openly addressed.
While the claims have sparked debate within football circles, there has been no official confirmation from CAF regarding the alleged interference or the existence of any secret meeting.
The case itself, which has already generated significant attention across African football, continues to highlight concerns over governance, transparency and decision-making processes within the continental body.
Molina’s remarks are likely to intensify scrutiny on CAF’s disciplinary and appeals procedures, particularly at a time when African football governance is under increasing global attention.
Whether the allegations will prompt further investigation or official clarification remains to be seen, but the controversy has once again brought internal decision-making within CAF into sharp focus.
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South Sudan delivered a dominant display to thrash Djibouti 4-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations PAMOJA 2027 Preliminary Round first-leg encounter in Juba on Thursday, taking a firm grip on the tie ahead of the return leg.
Keer Majak was the standout performer, scoring once and providing two assists in a commanding all-round display that underlined South Sudan’s superiority and attacking intent.
The hosts set the tone early, controlling possession and pressing aggressively in search of an opener. Their breakthrough came in the 31st minute when Justin Bangasi teed up Teng Kuol, who finished confidently to give South Sudan a deserved lead.
Despite being under sustained pressure, Djibouti managed to limit further damage before the interval, trailing 1-0 at halftime and still harbouring slim hopes of a comeback.
However, any resistance quickly faded after the restart as South Sudan raised the tempo. Bangasi doubled the advantage in the 49th minute, finishing off a well-worked move orchestrated by Majak.
Majak continued to dictate proceedings and turned provider again in the 66th minute, setting up Peter Manyang to make it 3-0 and effectively put the contest beyond reach.
The forward then crowned his outstanding performance with a goal of his own in the 81st minute, sealing an emphatic victory for the home side.
The result leaves Djibouti with a daunting task in the return leg, as they must produce an exceptional performance to overturn the heavy deficit.
With both legs scheduled to be played in Juba, South Sudan will be confident of completing the job and advancing to the next stage of the qualifiers, where six teams will secure places in the group phase of the AFCON 2027 campaign.
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Eritrea marked their long-awaited return to continental football with a 2-0 victory over Eswatini in the first leg of their preliminary round clash in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers on Wednesday.
Playing in Meknes, Morocco, the Eritreans secured a late win to take a strong advantage into the return leg next week.
After a closely contested encounter, Eritrea broke the deadlock in the 81st minute through Siem Eyob-Abraha, whose corner kick evaded everyone in the box and went straight into the net.
The victory was sealed deep into stoppage time when talisman Ali Suleiman produced a moment of brilliance. The forward embarked on a dazzling run down the left before unleashing a powerful shot into the roof of the net to double Eritrea’s lead.
Despite their win, Eritrea could have extended their advantage earlier, but Suleiman missed from the penalty spot after Eswatini goalkeeper Mlamuli Makhanya dived low to his right to make a crucial save.
The match marked Eritrea’s first appearance in AFCON qualification in nearly two decades, with their last outing coming against Eswatini in 2007, where they finished second in their qualification group.
The two sides will meet again in Eswatini for the second leg on Tuesday, where Eritrea will aim to protect their lead and advance to the next stage.
The winner of the tie will progress from the preliminary round to join 42 other teams in the group phase of qualification.
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, marking the tournament’s return to East Africa for the first time in over 50 years.
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