The Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has commiserated with the family of Thompson Oliha, a former Nigerian footballer, who died on Sunday.
Abdullahi recalled that the late Oliha was a very influential member of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, in
the 90s and contributed greatly to the success of that team.
He described the late Oliha as a “dedicated and thoroughbred professional who always put the nation first and who was member of the golden generation of Nigerian football history.
“A true patriot, he was motivated by the desire to don the Nigerian jersey than by pecuniary interests.
“He would be deeply be missed by the sporting community in Nigeria and the world at large. I pray that his soul rests in peace.”
The Nigeria Football Federation has also expressed deep shock and sorrow at news of the death of Oliha.
Oliha, 44, died in a private hospital in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Sunday morning, after complaining of malaria. He was said to have been on the bench while Kwara Football Academy, where he worked as a coach, played a Malian team on Saturday.
The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Musa Amadu, lamented the player’s sudden demise on Sunday.
Amadu said: “This is a tragedy of huge proportions. Oliha was one of the best midfielders to have played for Nigeria. His comments and analyses on Nigeria football over the years have been quite informed and useful.
“The Nigeria Football Federation and the entire Nigeria football family mourn Oliha’s passing. He was certainly one of the nation’s greats and acquitted himself brilliantly in the national colours. Now, we have lost another member of the Golden Generation, following the deaths of Uche Okafor and Rashidi Yekini.”
Thompson Oliha featured for a couple of the country’s leading clubs in his days.
These included Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC and Bendel Insurance FC, before joining up with Africa Sports of Cote d’Ivoire, after which he featured for Ironi Ashdod FC in Israel and later Antalyaspor FC in Turkey.
He first played for the senior national team in a 1988 Olympic Games qualifying match against Algeria in Annaba in January 1988, and then became a fixture in the team at the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Algeria.
He was a member of the renown Golden Generation, which qualified Nigeria for her first-ever FIFA World Cup finals, won the Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria in Tunisia in 1994 and then reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year.
Former Super Eagles players, Emeka Ezeugo and Tjani Babangida have expressed shock and sadness over the untimely demise of their compatriot, Thompson Oliha.
Oliha, a member of the victorious 1994 Super Eagles squad that won the Nations Cup in Tunisia died in the early hours of Sunday at the age of 44.
Ezeugo and Tijani in their face book walls, described the late Oliha as a dependable midfield maestro and Soldier that was ready to spill his last pint of blood for Nigeria.
“I am devastated,” Emeka Ezeugo began.
He added: “I will miss how we used to control the middle of the ball park. You taking the offensive duty and myself digging in touch in the defensive suffocating all foreign threat.
“We wore our hearts on our sleeves, made Eagles Super and supreme predator globally.
“May God rest your Soul. So long General.”
In short words, Tijani Babangida posted: “We call him the midfield maestro. May your soul rest in perfect peace Oliha.”
Thompson Oliha died on Sunday morning at about 4.05am at the Yusjib Industrial Medicare Hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to his wife, Irish, Oliha slumped in the toilet and was rushed to the hospital were he breathed his last.
Until his death, Oliha was the head coach of the Kwara Football Academy in Ilorin, Kwara State and took charge of KFA’s 3-0 win over a Malian team on Saturday evening.
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