Nigeria’s football family has been thrown into mourning following the death of Lawrence Onweazu Okonji, one of the country’s respected strikers from the early years of the national team.
Onweazu Okonji, who died at the age of 83, earned his first invitation to the Green Eagles in 1963 and went on to represent the nation for ten years.
During that period, he shared the pitch with some of the biggest names in Nigerian football, including Joseph Erico, Peter Anieke, Paul Hamilton and Sebastian Brodricks.
Hamilton later coached the Super Eagles, while Erico and Brodricks both served as assistants at different times. Brodricks also led the Golden Eaglets to victory at the maiden FIFA U-16 World Cup in China in 1985.
Many older fans remember Okonji for his spirited outings in international friendlies, especially against Queens Park Rangers of England and Fortuna Düsseldorf of Germany.
One of the standout moments of his career came on June 6, 1973. That day, he scored the final goal at the old Lagos City Stadium during a friendly between NEPA and Stationery Stores. The goal marked the symbolic closing of a ground that had hosted football royalty, including Pelé.
He also featured for Lagos State at the first National Sports Festival in 1973.
At the club level, Okonji played for some of the country’s established sides of the time, such as Sharks, NEPA of Lagos, Port Authority of Lagos, and Aba Giant Killers, now known as Enyimba.
When he retired from active football, Okonji continued shaping the game as a coach. He handled NEPA FC Lagos, Guinness FC, Lagos Academicals, Requins de l’Atlantique of the Benin Republic and Delta Force, formerly DSC FC.
