Nigeria’s first senior national team goalkeeper, Mr. Sam Ibiam, who died on December 2, 2015 will be buried on April 9, 2016 at his hometown Unwana in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Disclosing this to newsmen in Abakaliki, Mr. Chukwuemeka Ibiam, the late goalkeeper’s first son said the family was still looking for assistance from the ministry of sports and Ebonyi State government to give his late father a befitting burial.
Chukwuemeka said despite several visits to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), the federal ministry of youths and sports and his father’s former teammates to discuss modalities of ensuring a befitting and hitch-free burial for the former goalkeeper, he was yet to receive assistance from any quarter.
“There has been no assistance so far from both bodies as I only met Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi, an NFF official while the sports ministry’s officials said that the minister traveled abroad at the time of my visit,” Chukwuemeka said. He noted that the federal government can immortalize his father in several ways but what the family needs mostly now is adequate support to give their late father a befitting burial.
“We have been promised assistance before the burial date but we have not received funds from any quarter,” he added. He said that the family wants the Ebonyi government to immortalise their father by naming the Abakaliki Township Stadium after him.
“We have a situation in Imo where the Owerri Township Stadium was named after Dan Anyiam while the Lagos government named its new stadium after Thunder Balogun.
“These people were my father’s mates in the Red Devils. I want the government to name the Abakaliki stadium after him,” Chukwuemeka said.
