Blessed with superstars like skipper Tunde Martins, Emilio John, Martins Eyo, Marcellus Obinatu and Tony Amayo, the Lagosians were dreaming of the trophy when the grand finale was still two steps ahead.
Ogbueze did not only make them to bite the dust, he shamed them to ‘chew the grass’. All three goals that decided the match were scored by the ECS captain.
Not done yet and with nothing else to prove, he went for the fourth goal. From his own half of the field, Ogbueze began to dribble. One, two, three players down, he was close to the opponents rear. Three defenders were deceived.
There was one last man standing before the goalie. Ogbueze got over him but instead of firing into the net, he advanced towards the goalkeeper who rushed out to take the ball off the attackers feet.
Ogbueze dribbled the keeper, began to move back to the centre circle. The three Lagos strikers that had not tasted his magic were beaten silly.
To crown it all, realising that he had beaten all 11 Lagos players, Ogbueze began to do wonders with the ball in acrobatic fashion. He would tap the ball, play it up to knee level, dance with it, move it to the head and nod it up and down the chest.
Then he rested the round leather on the grass and sat on it. The crowd wowed. Eko saw show and slowed down. The referee was confused. He ran to Ogbueze who sat majestically on the ball.
Ogbueze gave the referee a dose of his magic. The man was dribbled to stupor. His whistle could not help him. On that day, there was only one Field Marshal and his name was Godwin Ogbueze.
Fifty years after that epic battle, I found Ogbueze. He resides with his family in the United States. The man opened up.
“It was like Game of the Century,” he said. “Tunde Martins, who captained Lagos, was talking big. I scored three goals. With scores at 3-0, I dribbled as many of them as I could. Then I sat on the ball as long as I wanted.”
I wanted to know more about this event which was not recorded for posterity possibly because of Nigeria’s poor record-keeping history.
Ogbueze explained it all. “ My message was for Ndigbo to hold their heads high. We were the laughing stock but we relied on our Civil War experience never to be intimidated.
“We played for all Igbo who were recovering from the war. The idea was to make them rise again and never to lose hope.”
What the other States did not realise was that the ECS players were all battle-tested combatants.
Siege mentality helped Ogbueze and his mates in their next match, the semifinals against Mid-Western State.
The opponents entered the field like Kings. Resplendent in red and white jerseys, they had more than a dozen balls which they played into the stands. Fans scrambled for them excitedly.
That was the Mid-West of seasoned Nigerian Academicals. Patrick Adinkwe, the dare devil winger, Clement Okwufulueze, Raph Uwechue( the pilot, not the Biafran diplomat) and Patrick Ezeocha were in top from.
It took two goals scored by Ken Ilodigwe and Moses Nweke to decide the game. It ended 2-0 in favour of the combatants from the East.
Kwara State came in the grand finale.Another solid team that paraded Issa Salman, Busari Ishola, Musa Abdullahi, Ahmed Yahaya (Atinger), Rasheed Badmus and Saliu Ojibara, among others.
Veteran turned politician, Kayode Abdulwahab-Omotose had to remind me that some of the Kwara players continued to excel after leaving the scene. Salman played for the Green Eagles at the Algiers ’78 All Africa Games, Musa Abdullahi was coach of the Golden Eaglets.
Kwara lost 2-0 and the Cup went to the East. The winners were blessed with stars like Christian Chukwu, Dominic Ezeani, Patrick Ekeji, Damian Odo, Obed Ariri, Chike Ikebuaku, Alex Nwosu and Ahamefula Umelo.
They were tough Biafran teenage soldiers. Ogbueze was a commando, trained at Bishop Shannahan College, Orlu, the school of Sebastine Brodericks-Imasuen. He was part of the Strike Force that fought in Ogoja under Maj. Emeka Ananaba ( same as Col. Ananaba, former Abia deputy governor).
Ekeji was of the Biafra Army Signals (BAS). From guarding General Emeka Ojukwu’s official residence in Etiti, he was sent to fight in the Mid-West. Another player, Innocent Nwokeji, was nicknamed ‘Trigger’.
Ogbueze is now a pacifist and prays for peace in Nigeria. “ I count myself lucky to have survived the war. Given a choice, I would prefer the worst peace to the best war.”
His exploits still live in the hearts of many, teammates, fellow footballers, friends and fans.
Legendary goalie, Emmanuel Okala described him as “ a great player.” James Udemba of Vasco Da Gama, Enugu Rangers’ perennial rivals, called Ogbueze, “ great ball juggler and magical dribbler”.
Fidelis Atuegbu, whose elder brother, Andrew remains Ogbueze’s pal in the United States went down memory lane.
“Yes, I know Ogbueze very well. He was my brother’s classmate and bossom friend. As a matter of fact, he and Andy took the St. Theresa’s Nsukka entrance exams at the same time. They both gained admission to the school. Ogbueze went and Andy opted for St. Joseph Secondary School, Vom.
“Back in Jos, Ogbueze was a very skillful player. When he played for St. Theresa’s Boys Primary School, Jos, he was known as ‘Chucks the Baby’. He was flashy as well as efficient. Some of his mates were Tijani Mohammed, Andy Atuegbu,Umoru Nakande and Anthony Uzoka”.
Ogbueze would dribble defenders and remain clean at the end of every game. Neatness is a quality that has remained with the Mgbowo, Enugu man.
According to Atuegbu: “ Ogbueze was known for his penchant to frustrate defenders who were determined to take him down and soil his jersey. For the most part, they failed and he was always clean.
“He left Jos and attended St. Theresa’s College, Nsukka. He joined Rangers thereafter.He played for a few years and left for the US where he featured for Clemson University with the likes of Christian Nwokocha, Damian Odo, Obed Ariri, Ben Popoola and Damian Ogunsuyi.”
Former Rangers Ball Boy, Donnie Ikpa sent in encomiums from the United States.
Ikpa said: “The closest I ever came to Ogbueze was at the 2015 ex- Enugu Rangers Players Reunion in Atlanta, hosted by Sir Benson Ejindu. The ageless Wonder Boy looked younger than me, notwithstanding the fact that I was a Ball Boy in his playing days.
“His style of play on the football pitch transcends to the dancing floor. Pele ( as he was fondly called) left an indelible memory for me during a friendly between the Academicals and Enugu Black Rocks after he had led the schoolboys to Adebajo Cup victory in Lagos.”
The magician continued with his ball juggling skills in a friendly and outside play on.
“Pele was a menace and an entertainer in that match,” Ikpa added. “ In one instance, when he went to retrieve a narrow miss at the opponent’s Eastside goal post, Ogbueze deftly lifted the ball with his left foot and juggled it around the goal post before tapping it to the keeper.
“Pele had complete command of the ball and it never disobeyed its master. The thunderous ovation that followed was as if he’d scored a goal.”
Veteran journalist, Emeka Maduegbuna tried to bridge time in his analysis.
“Ogbueze was a delight to watch and has rightly been described as a magician. In certain ways, Jay Jay Okocha reminded me of Ogbueze.
“Unfortunately, Ogbueze and Kenneth Ilodigwe, my primary school classmate, belonged to an era when chaps from this part of the globe were not prominent in the international soccer leagues.”
Felix Eze said : “ I wish Ogbueze played in this season. Not Messi, not Ronaldo will compete with him in football artistry. He was indeed a magician. Can Nigeria produce another Ogbueze, alias Aristo Pele?
Obi Udeozo agrees. “ Chukwuma Igweonu ( the man who led Christ the King College, Onitsha to World Cup triumph in 1977) told me that he considered Ogbueze one of the greatest human beings that ever played football.”
Fellow Biafran veteran, Innocent Nwankwo summed it up. “ Ogbueze was a sensation, a phenomenon unequalled.”
After leading his state to win the Adebajo/ Manuwa Cup in 1971, Ogbueze was made captain of the Nigerian Academicals that played Ghana in a two–leg game. His eyes were on education.
Drafted straight to Rangers with Chukwu, Ezeani and Ilodigwe, Ogbueze continued to win trophies before leaving for Clemson University in 1975.
“I won about four trophies before moving to the US. I lifted First National Sports Festival soccer gold with East Central State Spartans in 1973. Rangers were Challenge Cup and League champions in 1974”, he reminded me.
The soccer gold with Spartans means so much to Ogbueze. He was opportuned to shake hands with Sudanese leader, Jaafar El Nimeiry and was presented with the medal by General Yakubu Gowon.
The grand finale was replayed after rains disrupted the first match. Spartans defeated Mighty Jets, representing Gowon’s state, Benue Plateau.
Okala saved a penalty to give the East victory. Ismaila Mabo, who like Ogbueze attended St. Theresa’s Primary School, Jos captained the silver medalists.
That school also produced Sam Garba Okoye, Peter Anieke, Segun Odegbami, Stanley Okoronkwo and Tijani Salihu.
Ogbueze’s dad was a policeman in Lagos. The boy grew up in the barracks, like Ekeji. He chose the nickname Pele and enjoyed all the fun before the family moved to Jos. When war broke out, friends found themselves in different divides.
At Clemson University, Ogbueze remained hot. “ For two consecutive seasons, I was leading goal scorer”, he told me.
Yes, he scored 16 goals in his first season and in the four seasons Ogbueze played for Clemson, 1975-1979, he hit 46 goals.
As an undergraduate, he also won gold in Sharon.
“I met her while I was in the university. Mrs Sharon Ogbueze has been the love of my life for over 40 years. She is the mother of children and the glue of our family.”
