By Paul Lucky Okoku Some friendships begin by chance. The rare ones become part of your life’s story. When I travelled to California to celebrate Mrs. Fola Olukanni’s birthday, I expected a joyful weekend with family and friends. What I did not expect was to be carried back more than 50 years—to the streets and football fields of Lagos, where a friendship that has endured across generations first began. Standing once again with Segun Olukanni and Femi Olukanni, I was reminded that while football introduced us, friendship kept us together. Long after the cheers faded and the trophies were stored away, the bond we built as young boys remained. That was what made the celebration so special. It was not simply a birthday gathering. It was also a celebration of friendship, family, shared history, and the privilege of still being present in one another’s lives after more than five decades. Where It All Began My friendship with Segun and Femi Olukanni dates back to the early 1970s, when we were young boys growing up in Ebute Metta, Lagos, united by similar dreams and an endless passion for football. Like many youngsters of our generation, we played wherever there was enough open space to kick a ball. We were not thinking about national teams, professional careers, or where life might eventually take us. We simply loved the game. Much of that bond was nurtured at Olaleye Boys’ Club and later at 7 Pillars Boys’ Club in Olosha, Mushin, under Brother Afolabi. Those neighbourhood teams were more than places to play football. They were where character was built. They taught us discipline, teamwork, resilience, and respect—qualities that later served us both on and off the pitch. Among my teammates at Olaleye Boys’ Club were Eugene Odiye, better known as Coachie; Amechi Nwogu; Andrew Uti; Stephen Keshi; Mathew Akeite; Benson Akpoedafe; and Sunday Tashie. Most of us were neighbourhood boys from Olaleye. Segun Olukanni, Stephen Keshi, and Andrew Uti lived in nearby communities, but because we had become close friends through football, they regularly joined us at Olaleye Boys’ Club. Looking back today, it is remarkable to realize that a group of young friends from neighbouring communities would later go on to represent clubs and Nigeria at the highest levels of the game. At the time, none of us imagined where football would eventually take us. We were simply boys chasing a ball and enjoying every moment. Yet those afternoons on dusty pitches helped lay the foundation for friendships that would last a lifetime. Football soon opened doors we could never have imagined as neighbourhood boys. Through the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria, we represented Nigeria abroad, winning the Gothia Cup in Sweden and later competing successfully at the Dallas Cup in the United States. Then, in one of football’s many ironies, we returned home from celebrating victories together only to become rivals in one of Lagos’ most prestigious school competitions—the Principals’ Cup. I proudly represented St. Finbarr’s College, while Segun and Femi proudly represented CMS Grammar School. School football in Lagos during that era carried enormous pride because every player represented more than himself. You represented your classmates, teachers, alumni, and community. In both 1980 and 1981, CMS Grammar School defeated St. Finbarr’s College in the semifinals and went on to win the Principals’ Cup. Those defeats were difficult to accept at the time, but they never diminished our friendship. When the school competition ended, we simply became teammates again. Football made us rivals. Life made us brothers. Football Opened Doors After our Principals’ Cup battles ended, football brought the three of us together again—this time wearing the same colours at National Bank Football Club. National Bank offered us more than football. It gave us the opportunity to begin building professional careers while continuing to compete at a high level. By day, we worked as bank employees. By evening, we trained. On weekdays and weekends, we represented the club. In 1982, we celebrated winning the prestigious Oba Cup, defeating NEPA in the semifinal before overcoming the legendary Stationery Stores Football Club in the final. For followers of Lagos football, that triumph carried special significance. NEPA and Stationery Stores were two of the dominant forces in the city’s football scene, and their rivalry shaped many of Lagos’ biggest domestic competitions throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. To defeat both clubs on our way to lifting the trophy made the victory especially memorable. Later in 1982, we also reach
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