Former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, has commended Christian Chukwu, former captain of the Nigerian national men’s football team for his contribution to the national team.
Obi made the assertion in Lagos at the launching of Chukwu’s biography book.
Titled, ”The Field Marshal”, the book has 344 pages, divided into five chapters.
The book talked about Chukwu’s childhood days, playing career for his club, Rangers International of Enugu and the national team.
Obi said Chukwu deserved to be honoured and celebrated because he served Nigeria very well.
Segun Odegbami, who was Vice Captain to Chukwu in the then-Green Eagles, said Chukwu was excellent on and off the field.
He said Chukwu carried everybody along in the national team and was an easygoing person.
Sylvanus Okpala, who played with Chukwu in the Rangers and the national team, said it was an honour to play with Chukwu at club and national team.
“To me, to play and write a book is special. The book on Chukwu is special. Chukwu is a gentleman. The book is a good thing in the right direction and I hope, some of us will look at what he has done and try to write our own too,” Okpala said.
Ogechukwu Ajuzie, a journalist and author of the book, said he had followed Chukwu’s career and decided to celebrate him.
“I wrote the book to celebrate Christian as a footballer for his accomplishments over the years, having taken time, I studied him, I followed him as a footballer and I felt the best thing to do is to honour and celebrate him” he said.
Chukwu said he is overwhelmed with joy on his biography of him.
“Am overwhelmed with happiness. It’s good to remember somebody when he is alive than when he is not alive. So, am very pleased and I thank everybody that is here to honour this invitation. It will keep me longer alive.
”The younger generation, when they read the book, they should know that they will not be forgotten when they are no more and it will encourage them and give them the discipline they require to achieve their objectives”‘ he said.
Chukwu captained the Nigerian national team to win its first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980 and was a member of the coaching crew that took the national team to her maiden appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the USA in 1994.
