Former Green Eagles safehands, Emmanuel Okala, has recounted their golden days in the National Institute for Sports(NIS) inside the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
The excited goalkeeper told the NIS Director General(DG) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO), Comrade Philip Shaibu, how they usually camped at the institute’s hostel with all necessary facilities provided for the camping.
Receiving the NIS Boss, Emmanuel Okala said, “I cannot believe that you are in my house here in Enugu. First, let me thank President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for appointing you as DG of NIS. Let me tell you, then we usually camp at the NIS hostel inside the National Stadium in Surulere. There physiologists, masseurs, nurses and doctors are ever ready at any given time for us. That also go a long way in getting us well prepared for our matches. The cafeteria is super for our meals. That now all these are stories. But, I have been following your good work especially in sports. I surely know you are the right person the President have brought to change the NIS narrative.
“Few months you have resumed in NIS, I have been reading, watching television and listening to radio about your activities in the institution, and I know you are a goal getter. I pray God Almighty to always be with you.”
Okala expressed strong confidence in Shaibu’s visionary leadership, describing him as a man of “proven prudence, passion, and commitment” who possesses the capacity to restore the lost glory of sports institutions in Nigeria.
He also extended heartfelt appreciation to Shaibu for his support to him personally and to countless Nigerian sportsmen and women, both past and present, noting that such gestures have continued to inspire hope within the sporting community.
Comrade Philip Shaibu weekend had paid a courtesy visit to Emmanuel Okala, at his residence in Enugu State.
The visit, filled with nostalgia, saw the towering goalkeeper of the 1970s Green Eagles fame welcoming Shaibu and his team with his characteristic humor and infectious smile, a sign that though weak in body, Okala remains full of life, jovial and spirited.
During the visit, Comrade Shaibu briefed the football icon on his transformative agenda and the ongoing decentralization of the National Institute for Sports across Nigeria. He explained that his trip to Enugu was in continuation of his engagements with the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, regarding the recently approved South East Zonal Training Centre of the NIS, which will be sited in the state.
In a lively conversation, Okala reminisced about the golden years of Nigerian sports, recalling the beauty and glory of the National Stadium, Surulere, and the National Institute for Sports in its early days. With a touch of humor, he asked whether the staff were still being paid salaries despite allowing such “a beautiful dream of an institute to become dilapidated.”
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