TheCable

Chidi Offor-Okenwa, chairman of Enugu state Football Association, has reportedly died of organ failure.

TheCable learnt the chairman of Nigeria National League (NNL) had been sick and was hospitalised before he was discharged last week.

“Chairman has been sick for a while now and he was in the hospital for three weeks before he was discharged last week,” a source told TheCable.

“The hospital could not detect what his ailment was till he was discharged last week.

“But if you had seen him before his death, his legs were swollen for a while and you know what that means when such happens to someone, it is either the liver or kidney has issue.

“Enugu and Nigerian football have lost a great man. May his soul Rest In Peace.”

Until his death on Tuesday, he was the vice-chairman, technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

According to a statement by the NFF, Okenwa was diagnosed of leukemia and was said to have been restless throughout the night and slumped in the early hours of Tuesday before being taken to a private hospital in Enugu, where he was confirmed dead.

Amaju Pinnick, NFF president, paid a tribute to Okenwa, who was part of a meeting of the federation’s executive committee held via video conferencing penultimate Friday — same day the deceased celebrated his 50th birthday.

“This is a huge shock. 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. This is a terrible blow,” Pinnick said.

“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.”