SUPER Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has given substantial financial help to Kingsley Obiekwu after reports emerged that the Olympic gold medallist was struggling to make ends meet.
Central defender Obiekwu was a member of the history-making Nigerian team that won the country’s first and only men’s football gold medal at the Atlanta ’96 Olympics.
Obiekwu was recently spotted working as a commercial car driver in Awka and he told the News Agency of Nigeria in a recent interview that it was his major means of income.
When Musa was made aware of Obiekwu’s situation, he got in contact with the former Enugu Rangers star and gave his senior national team colleague N2 million as confirmed by the former defender’s associates.
Musa, who has made numerous other kind gestures including giving scholarships and donating to the building of mosques, did not make his cash gift to Obiekwu public until the beneficiary confirmed it.
Obiekwu, now 47, told NAN that he moved back permanently to Nigeria after his professional football career but has found the going tough, having to use his only car for commercial transport to supplement his earnings as a coach of amateur club INGAS of Enugu.
“Yes, I am a commercial transporter; there is nothing to hide about it. Man has to do what is legal to pay his family bills,” the former Super Eagles star told NAN.
“I have four children at the Enugu State University of Technology and my last child is in primary five.”
Obiekwu began his career in Nigeria with once rich but now defunct Udoji United and played for Go Ahead Eagles in The Netherlands, Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates and Al Masry in Egypt.
He was understudy to Taribo West and Ikechukwu Uche in the Atlanta ’96 ‘Dream Team’ which also included the likes of Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amuneke, Sunday Oliseh, Victor Ikpeba and Nwankwo Kanu.
