‘A loyal soldier of Nigeria football’ – Pinnick pays tributes to late Okenwa

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has paid tributes to the late member of the Executive Committee, Hon. Chidi Ofo Okenwa.

Okenwa, who served as the chairman of the Nigeria National League, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 50, according a statement by the NFF.

He had been diagnosed as having leukemia, and reportedly gave up the ghost at a private hospital in Enugu after a terrible night.

Pinnick, in a statement, paid glowing tributes to Okenwa, who was part of a meeting of the NFF Executive Committee held via video conferencing penultimate Friday. It was that same day that Okenwa celebrated his 50th birthday.

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“This is a huge shock,” said Pinnick

“Each and everyone of us on the NFF Board is in absolute grief. Chidi (Okenwa) was a loyal soldier of Nigeria Football and was a leading member of our intellectual wing.

“He was one man you can always rely on to give candid advice.

“We bounced ideas off him regularly and picked his brain on many issues because of his wide knowledge and decades of experience in football administration. We will sorely miss him,” Pinnick said.

The remains of the late Chidi Ofo Okenwa, who was also Chairman of the Enugu State Football Association, has been deposited in a mortuary in the city of Enugu, as decisions on the final burial rites are yet to be made.

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