Three days after Coach Stephen Keshi died, another former Super Eagles
Coach, Amodu Shuaibu, is dead. Ironically, late Coach Shuaibu paid glowing
tribute to late Coach Keshi on a Channels TV Sports Programme, regretting
that if he had known that Keshi was in Benin, he would at least have met
him before he died since he, too, was in Benin.
But it looks like the four-time coach of Super Eagles, who qualified the
team for the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup, would be meeting
Keshi in the great beyond with the announcement of his death Saturday
morning by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
Amodu, who was also Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, died
in his sleep at 58, after complaining of chest pains the Friday night. He
had complained of pains in his chest. Like Keshi, who was suspected to be
hypertensive, a source said Shuaibu was on medication for hypertension.
His remains have been deposited at the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin
City, where Keshi’s body is also kept.
Amodu, the only coach, who coached the Super Eagles four times led the
team to the 2002 and 2010 World Cup.
Amodu was to take over the coaching of the Super Eagles after the sacking
of Coach Sunday Oliseh but declined on health grounds.