NFF President, Sec. General, others to storm Calabar in honour of Etubom Orok Oyo
By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
President of The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick amomg alongside the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi among other dignitaries will attend a fiesta organized in honour of a former three-term Secretary-General of the football body Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo.
The celebration event in honour of Orok Oyo, who is also the Nigeria’s first-ever member of the FIFA and CAF Executive Committees, is scheduled to hold in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, on 27th August, 2022.
“We are planning a glamour event to celebrate Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo, and the family is working with a number of friends and the NFF to make it a memorable occasion.
“On the day, we will be launching a book that is a compilation of all the writings and speeches of the late Etubom Oyo, and we will also be launching the O3 Foundation on the same day”.
“President of the NFF, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick is expected to lead a strong NFF team that will also include the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi to Calabar for the historic event”, Chief Orok Oyo, son of the late Etubom Oyo, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Orok, who was popularly known as ‘Mr Football’ would have been 100 years on 27th August 2022, having been born on that date in the year 1922.
One of Africa and the world’s most renowned football administrators, Etubom Oyo Orok served as Secretary-General of then Nigeria Football Association in 1958, and then between 1961 and 1963, and also between 1967 and 1971.
He then moved to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), where he served as member of the executive committee from 1974 to 1988.
Etubom Oyo was also Nigeria’s first-ever member of the FIFA Executive Committee, and retired as life Vice President of CAF. He died on 10th September 2008.