For a long while now, they have been away from public glare. For what they stood for and their loyalty to the country, they are being spotlighted. ELEOJO IDCAHABA in this report wonders where they could be now.
Oladimeji Lawal
Dimeji Lawal as he was popularly called during his active days is a former Nigerian footballer who played as a midfielder for clubs in Nigeria, Spain and Belgium at different times. He started his footballing career with Femo Scorpion Football club of Eruwa where he featured alongside other notable footballers like Mutiu Adepoju before he moved to Spain at the youthful age of 18 and signed a contract with Real Madrid.
There, he spent two seasons playing football. One in the Segunda Division A and the other in Division B. Despite his impressive outings, he was never promoted to the main squad, the reason for which he returned to Nigeria and played for Shooting Stars Football Club. Not satisfied with the football terrain in the country and in his quest to seek greener pasture in football, in 1993, he left the country and joined Belgian Second Division side KV Kortrijk for one season. At another time, he also played in the South African Premier Soccer League called Hellenic FC in 1994.
Lawal is notable as one of the top most footballers that had given honour to the country. For example, he played for Nigeria in the 1987 FIFA U-16 World Championship in Canada and the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia. He also made several appearances for the senior national team, especially during the 1992 African Nations Cup qualifier against Togo in 1990. It was rumoured that he was once a FIFA-licensed players agent, but one is not certain where he is presently and to what extent he still helps up-coming players to move ahead in their career.
Turner Isoun
Professor Turner Isoun is from Bayelsa state and was the minister of science and technology under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 2000 to 2007. It was under him as minister that the real blueprint for technological development of Nigeria was drawn. A university teacher, administrator and researcher, he was educated in the 70s at the University of Michigan, United States. On his return to Nigeria after his doctorate degree, he took up teaching appointments at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Ibadan, respectively.
Earlier in his life, he was a special adviser on science and technology in the old government of Rivers state. Prof Isoun played a prominent role in the establishment of Rivers State University of Science and Technology which is said to be the first technology university in the country in 1980, for which he was subsequently appointed as its first vice-chancellor.
During his tenure as minister, he initiated policies that promoted both high-tech and low-tech science for development as under him, Nigeria launched the two satellite stations in conjunction with Chinese investors. That was the launch of NigerSat I and NIGCOMSAT 1 (an advanced communication satellite). At one point, he was the chairman, board of directors, NIGCOMSAT Ltd. Following the establishment of the Niger Delta University (NDU) years back, Prof Isoun was appointed as the chairman of council and pro-chancellor.
Reflecting on his life at the age of 80 a few years back, he said, “My parents had no money and I wanted to study Veterinary Medicine which was a huge area for economic development. So, somehow, the federal government was giving out scholarships at the time and I benefited from it. There was nothing like being born with a silver spoon. However, let me say that they had money to, at least, get me through primary school. A lot of people thought that I went to a foreign primary school when they read what I’ve achieved. But no, I didn’t. I went to Odi Primary School and then I attended a local secondary school called Okrika Grammar School.”
Also, writing about him, Alex Abutu, a newspaper columnist, said, “Prof Isoun is a silent achiever, but when he appeared on the national scene as the nation’s minister of science and technology in 2000, there was no holding Nigeria back in the comity of science-driven nations. Nigeria treaded paths reserved exclusively for the advanced nations as it launched what was then termed an ambitious scientific road map. This was to, among others, see the launch of geospatial and communication satellites, installation of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant and the launch of the ICT backbone infrastructure which is responsible for the digital economy, including e-banking and other e-products that Nigerians are enjoying. Other longer term benefits in the roadmap include the prospect of sending a Nigerian to the moon as well as the design, building and launch of a satellite by Nigerian engineers.”
This erudite scholar is one Nigerian whose footprints in the academy of science both in Nigeria and Africa cannot be easily forgotten. Now said to be in his mid-80s, it’s not clear where he is at the moment.
Frank Odita
He was one of the finest officers Nigeria ever had in the police force. This Delta state-born former cop joined the police in 1958, and was last seen as presenter of Crime Fighters, a programme that ran on major television stations then. He could, therefore, be described as ‘one of the bridges’ between the colonial constabulary forces and the modern day Nigeria police.
In an interview with a national daily a few years back, he bemoaned the state of the police, saying the heritage of the force was destroyed by the military. According to him, “The Nigeria police was an enigma of respect and a pride to the nation because of the level of training and orientation it got from the colonial masters until the military destroyed and reduced it into a beggarly institution.”
Odita was a one-time Force Public Relations Officer, a position he carried out well in the days of the military when there was a perceived cold war between the military and the force. He later rose to the rank of a commissioner before he retired in the early 90s. He is someone who is averse to the call for amnesty for Boko Haram members. In an interview he granted when the matter started initially, he refused to be carried away by those who go by cheaply comparing the sect to the Niger Delta militants who were granted amnesty by Yar’Adua. He said, “The Niger Delta militants were granted amnesty because they came out to dialogue with the government. The government also thought that what they were agitating for was legitimate, but we can’t say that for Boko Haram because we don’t know what they are fighting for.”
He is one person who has not been seen especially on Crime Fighters in recent times.
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