A member of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation and Chairman of the Nigeria National League, Chidi Ofo Okenwa, is dead.
Okenwa, who is also the Chairman of the Enugu State Football Association, died on Tuesday at the age of 50.
This was confirmed by the spokesperson for the NFF, Ademola Olajire, in a statement on Tuesday.
He said efforts to rescue the Enugu State Football Association boss failed after he slumped in the early hours.
Okenwa had been diagnosed with leukemia and was said to have been restless throughout the night and slumped in the early hours before being rushed to a private hospital in Enugu, where he was confirmed dead.
A devastated President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, 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.
“This is a huge shock. Each and every one 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.
“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 have been deposited in a mortuary in the city of Enugu and the NFF is in contact with his family with regards to a decision on the date of the final burial rites.
