Nigeria’s football fraternity is grieving the passing of Lawrence Onweazu Okonji, a former Green Eagles striker, who died at the age of 83.
Okonji, regarded as one of the prominent forwards of his era, earned his first call-up to the national team in 1963 and remained an active international until 1973. His decade-long stint with the Green Eagles placed him alongside some of the country’s most recognizable football figures, including Joseph Erico, Paul Hamilton, Peter Anieke, and Sebastian Brodricks.
Hamilton later became head coach of the Super Eagles, while Erico and Brodricks contributed to the team’s technical staff in subsequent years. Brodricks also led the Golden Eaglets to victory at the inaugural FIFA U-16 World Championship in China in 1985.
During his playing career, Okonji delivered notable performances in international friendlies against European sides such as Queens Park Rangers of England and Germany’s Fortuna Düsseldorf. His legacy also includes a historic moment on June 6, 1973, when he scored the final goal at the former Lagos City Stadium (now Mobolaji Johnson Arena) during a friendly between NEPA and Stationery Stores. The match marked the symbolic closure of the iconic stadium, once graced by global legends like Pelé.
Okonji represented Lagos State at the first National Sports Festival in 1973. At club level, he featured for teams such as Sharks (now defunct), NEPA Lagos, Port Authority of Lagos and the Aba Giant Killers, the club that eventually evolved into Enyimba Football Club.
After concluding his playing career, Okonji moved into coaching, taking up roles with NEPA FC Lagos, Guinness FC, Lagos Academicals, Requins de l’Atlantique FC in Benin Republic and Delta Force, formerly known as DSC FC.
His passing marks the end of a remarkable chapter in Nigeria’s football history, leaving behind a legacy cherished by teammates, fans, and the football community at large.
