Former Super Eagles captain and gaffer, Christian Chukwu, died recently at the age of 74. He was one of the best players and coaches Nigeria has ever produced. Chukwu excelled both as a player and coach for the senior national team. Born in Enugu on January 4, 1951, Chukwu died on April 12, 2025. Chukwu was a great player and coach. His was named ‘chairman’ based on his ability to manage the national team. He was both the team leader of Enugu Rangers and the Super Eagles, formerly the Green Eagles during his days.
With Enugu Rangers, he won the African Cup Winners Cup (renamed CAF Confederations Cup) in 1977 and the African Cup of Nations in 1980 with the national team. On both occasions, Chukwu led the Nigerian teams to their first African trophies. The national team only conceded one goal, thanks to his defensive prowess, during the 1980 AFCON tournament. The appearance of the national team at the 1976 AFCON in Ethiopia under his captainship marked Nigeria’s return to the international tournament after 13 years absence. The team won bronze in that edition and repeated the same podium finish in the 1978 edition held in Ghana.
He became the captain of Enugu Rangers and the national team in his early twenties. Although a defender, he scored important goals for the Green Eagles with his forays into opponents’ defences. For his solid displays at the back, he was named the player of the tournament at the 1980 AFCON. It was a feat only rivalled 44 years later by the current Super Eagles captain, William Troos Ekong, at the last AFCON held in Ivory Coast. He also won nine trophies for Rangers and retired in 1981.
Chukwu was discovered by Dan Anyiam, the senior national team’s first captain while playing at Ngwo Park, in Enugu. He convinced his unimpressed parents to support his talent. At that point in history, football was not regarded by many Nigerian parents as a profession. Perhaps Chukwu would have been another wasted talent if Dan Anyiam did not take that bold step. He was destined to the top right from his school days at Christ Church Primary School, Enugu, and National Grammar School, Enugu. Anyiam subsequently selected Chukwu among the teenagers to represent the defunct East Central State at the Manuwa/Adebajo Academicals Cup in 1972, a competition for secondary students in Nigeria. Chukwu’s team emerged victorious.
Chukwu stepped up onto a bigger stage after the Academicals when Anyiam, who became the pioneer coach of Enugu Rangers, signed him after the school triumph. Rangers were to win the Challenge Cup from 1974-76, defeating three big clubs – Mighty Jets of Jos, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, and Alyufsalam Rocks of Ilorin respectively. The 1975 victory over Shooting Stars of Ibadan was Rangers’ first trophy since it was founded in 1970. He also got his first call-up to the Green Eagles in 1974.
Chukwu’s coaching career began in the early 1980s following his retirement from active football with Enugu Rangers, leading them to a Challenge Cup victory in 1983. He was drafted to the junior national team as the assistant coach serving under Sebastian Brodericks. The Golden Eaglets, subsequently, became the first winner of the FIFA/KODAK U-16 World Cup held in China. The history making coach teamed up with the Dutch tactician, Clemens Westerhof, in 1994 as the Super Eagles won the 1994 AFCON held in Tunisia and qualified Nigeria for the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
He took over as the coach of the men’s national team between 2002 and 2005, and won a bronze medal at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
The last five years of his life was harrowing for the ex Super Eagles coach after he suffered prostate cancer in 2019, which affected his legs. It took the intervention of billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, who paid $50,000 for his treatment in London. Chukwu lamented in an April, 2024 interview with a Nigerian sport publication that the NFF owed him $128,000 dating back to his days at the Super Eagles coach.
The current NFF leadership should investigate the claim with a view to settling the debts to the bereaved family. Chukwu was a real patriot who served the nation brilliantly as a player and coach. The Federal Government should honour him. We commiserate with his family, fans and football associates over the great loss.