Former Super Eagles midfielder Paul Okoku has hailed deceased friend and former Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi as a great promoter of humanitarian causes.

Two years ago, Okoku, Godwin Odiye and the late Keshi presented computers, laptops, a power generator, ceiling fans and a printer to Saint Paul’s Primary School, Apapa Rd, Ebute-Metta, Mainland, Lagos, during a Greater Tomorrow Children Foundation event.

Late Keshi

For Okoku, the death of Keshi was a big blow to not just Nigerian sports but for less-privileged children, who he noted commanded a pride of place in the late Eagles’ captain heart.

“Keshi had that unbiased character and unassuming leadership. He also had father-benevolent approach and was always in the vanguard of serving humanity. He was a gentleman, but widely misunderstood by many people who never even got close, but judged him from a distance.

“He took time to meet with orphans and less privileged children in Abuja, taking pictures with them during the launch of Greater Tomorrow Children’s Foundation. He graced Greater Tomorrow Children’s Foundation to celebrate Children’s Day and World’s Hunger Day as his own way of giving back to the community. He received the highest Mainland humanitarian award for his giving back to the society that supported him. That was Keshi, an ambassador for goodwill,” Okoku stated.

Recalling his days with Keshi, Okoku said t”he was my captain in the 1980s when we played for the then Green Eagles team B as the feeder to the team A. It was from the team B that he got a call up to the Green Eagles team A, coming in as a substitute during the 1982 World Cup qualifier against Algeria at the National Stadium, Lagos.

‘’Since that very moment, and in his accomplished life, he went on to play and captain Nigeria for the next 14 years. I remember his excitement and thanksgiving to God when he was named the new Super Eagles coach in November of 2011.

”I called to congratulate him when he was in Nigeria, and we were on the phone for over two hours. Sadly, that excitement later turned sour, which brought him stress, sadness, despair, depression, distress to his personal and professional life and it proved deadly in the end. He expected to have been treated with reverence, which every human being deserves,” Okoku added.