Our Reporter, Abuja
Former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, and Pro-Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has urged the Federal Government to atone for decades-old injustices suffered by the late Christian Chukwu and his generation of footballers, describing them as the athletes who “won the peace” for Nigeria after the civil war.
Speaking on Friday at a memorial colloquium organised by the Centre for Memories, Enugu, in honour of the former Green Eagles captain, Odinkalu said Chukwu’s legacy went far beyond sport, making him “the first truly pan-Nigerian superstar” and a unifying figure in a fractured nation.
Delivering a keynote lecture titled “A Legacy Larger than Sport: Christian Chukwu, Enugu Rangers International and Post-War Reconstruction in Nigeria,” Odinkalu traced the history of football on the continent and argued that Chukwu’s leadership of Enugu Rangers in the 1970s helped restore Igbo dignity and national cohesion following the devastation of the 1967–1970 conflict.
“Missionary priests may have laid the foundations of the country with colonial education and the politicians may have followed with infrastructure,” Odinkalu said. “But it was the football players who ensured the country had a chance to win the peace. Among them, one clearly stood tallest – Christian Chukwu.”
Odinkalu recounted how, in 1977, Chukwu captained Rangers to continental glory, defeating Cameroon’s Canon Sportif de Yaoundé to win the African Cup Winners Cup. Eight years earlier, the East Central State team had been formed barely five months after the war, in a bid to lift the morale of a traumatised people.
He credited administrators such as Jerry Enyeazu and Dan Anyiam with moulding the side into a symbol of post-war resilience, while noting that Chukwu’s personal journey—from a young defender at National Grammar School, Nike, to the captain of both Rangers and Nigeria’s Green Eagles—epitomised dedication and excellence.
Chukwu went on to lead Nigeria to its first African Cup of Nations title in 1980, later becoming the first person to win the continental trophy both as player and coach.
However, Odinkalu lamented that despite their sacrifices, many members of Chukwu’s generation were shortchanged, citing the unfulfilled 1977 promise by then Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo to gift each Rangers player N25,000—a sum never paid.
“Legitimate questions may be asked as to what their country gave them in return,” he said. “This is a moment for atonement… It is not too late to do right by those still alive and to remember adequately the families of those who have fallen.”
Odinkalu said the greatest tribute to Chukwu’s memory would be for Nigeria to redress such lingering injustices, stressing that his life and career had helped “bind the wounds of a people and heal the afflictions of a nation.”
Chukwu, nicknamed “Chairman” by legendary broadcaster Ernest Okonkwo, died on Saturday, April 12, this year. He captained Rangers to nine championships, coached both Rangers and the Super Eagles, bridged regional divides, and remains celebrated as one of Africa’s finest defenders.
Dignitaries who attended the event include the former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Nnia Nwodo and the current leader, Senator Azuta Mbata.
