I’m dropping the phrases I’m dropping now as tears are dropping profusely and profusely from my eyes dripping with the flavour of full ache. Peter Fregene, Nigeria’s longest-serving goal-keeper, is the reason for the very painful ache my lyrical eyes are marking my current second with. It’s an unpleasant second of ugliness that Peter Fregene’s demise has induced in me.
The very nice goalkeeper of our very expensive, expensive Inexperienced Eagles of yester-decades and yester-decades of then years and years of our fabulous occasions, died lately after lengthy seasons of extended illness that slowly shredded him with the evil scissors of his evil shredder.
Some weeks again the data reached me that Peter Fregene’s burial occasions would occur from November 27, to November 30, 2024 in Sapele the as soon as fabulous place of fabulous locations whose a long time of a long time are now not its a long time of a long time of reminiscences refusing to fade from my succulent reminiscence. Oh, my autobiographical reminiscence! How succulent you continue to are and are nonetheless!
I assured my informer who resides within the diaspora that I might attend the occasions because the late Peter Fregene meant (and nonetheless means even in demise) a lot to us Sapele individuals and brought-ups and denizens.
Certainly, these members of my era, and of his, who knew him intoto and who performed the sport of the then taut spherical leather-based with him earlier than he left us behind after he hit nationwide and worldwide stardoms, will all the time keep in mind the fallen grasp of goal-keeping and goal-tendering, who was equally a servant-master and master-servant of Nigerian sports activities. Sadly, I received’t be on the last occasion tomorrow on the Sapele Township Stadium as I wasn’t on the service of songs at Okotie-Eboh Grammar Faculty sports activities floor on Wednesday, November 27 to mark the start of his last journey from our earth airplane.
Professor Omajuwa Igho Natufe, a dashing left-winger of the wonderful Amukpe All Stars Soccer Membership of Sapele within the then years, the terrific Nineteen Sixties, wouldn’t be happy with me. He, amongst different distinguished tappers of the powerful spherical leather-based with Peter Fregene anticipated me, amongst others, to signify all of them in Europe and United States of America who for apparent causes couldn’t and wouldn’t come to say their last goodbye to the flying cat. Professor Omajuwa Igho Natufe, now a classical Political Science scholar of maximum radical bent, would settle for my water-tight excuse for being absent. (In any case, my youthful brother, a former Nigerian worldwide of excessive rank, will mark his presence (and mine in absentia!)
I’m delivering an essential lecture tomorrow. I’m speeding to Benin Metropolis from my far-away surroundings/base outdoors Edo State to prepare for the paper which I’m nonetheless touching and re-touching. I used to be contacted, commissioned, to do the presentation dwell nicely earlier than the burial programme of the late “Rubber Man of Africa” was launched. I ready for the lecture which I attempted to finish with the reward of competence God grants me solely very, very late yesterday – though it’s but to be given a last mark of authoritative authority.
I’ve been too drained to go to Sapele on the Benin-Sapele street of evil that won’t curve again to its good, superb, norm of yester-years within the nearest future. How dare this dedicated columnist all the time dedicated to frank friendship dare the dreaded and dreadful street until he was able to embarrass the planners of the occasion to whom and which he had dedicated himself and his dedication?
Peter Fregene was a boy, a person, an individual, an athlete, a footballer, a goal-keeper of future. Let my reminiscence converse from its lengthy span.Peter Fregene was in my small boyish or little boyhood consciousness far again into time. He belonged to our Oguanja footballers – pupils, boys and younger males who graced the sports activities grounds of Baptist, St. Luke, Council, Academy, and Affiliation Main Colleges’ sports activities grounds respectively at completely different occasions – to do our onerous spherical leather-based enterprise come rain or sunshine, particularly within the afternoons and evenings after our faculty hours. He and greater than a number of others a few of whom had since predeceased him have been already making waves in Sapele and environs. However he was not the most effective chap, the most effective footballer, and goal-keeper then. I keep in mind very vividly goal-keepers Abu Malaya the ebony black, good-looking and lanky Igbo goal-keeper of Amukpe All Stars, Sammy Sparkles of Sapele Soccer Membership who have been recognized nicely earlier than Peter Fregene’s vivid stars brightened him.
These two have been acclaimed and applauded as higher than the flying cat of later years. There was additionally Peter Aghante (Ben Bella), his elder brother Daniel Aghante (Black Arrow), who grew to become well-liked as an area and nationwide referee, Odinaka and Hamilton, two Igbo brothers who at completely different occasions stored purpose for St. Francis Faculty, Sapele. Joseph Okotie of Baptist Faculty, the identical college Peter Aghante attended, was additionally an outstanding goal-keeper. All of the listed goal-keepers have been of their respective types of goal-keeping reward and perspective extra seemingly excellent than Peter Fregene.
However it was Peter Fregene’s future, as already alluded to steal, to seize, the essential limelight from every and all of them. Peter Fregene was the daring, fearless, brave, nicely endowed cat that was all the time flying within the air and from there to the bottom, muddy or not muddy, to catch, to punch, to embrace the ball that should not enter the web, his web, by means of his personal shortcomings or errata.
At the moment in query he had one innovation: any ahead or participant who dared to contest within the air or on the bottom the ball with him in an effort to toss it onto purpose and Peter Fregene’s web was a goner who would find yourself as a goner that was a goner. Dare to dare Peter Fregene – and he would scratch and crash you out of the match for good. His goal-keeper’s zone was his goal-keeper’s zone when Peter Fregene was Peter Fregene.
As my grownup autobiographical reminiscence is scripting this, my boyhood reminiscence performs again this scene: Macaulay Otire, an inside ahead of Amukpe All-Stars dashed to Peter Fregene’s territory within the hope of scoring a positive purpose. It was an event of a spectacular match between a Benin workforce (Vipers?) and Amukpe. Governor Samuel Osaigbovo of the Mid-West had lately ‘imported’ the flying cat only for the match at the moment, we have been schooled, that points of NFA’s guidelines and rules allowed ‘importation’ of gamers. The match was performed in Benin on the King’s Sq.. It was a cup last between Benin and Sapele. As Macaulay Otire made his dashing run to and into Peter Fregene’s territory, what the latter did entered Sapele soccer lore thereafter.
Peter Fregene scoured tigerishly over his out-of-bounds territory to include Macaulay Otire’s daringness. A piercing wail got here from the daring ahead who was a famed member of the Inexperienced Eagles at the moment. Peter Fregene’s ground-drive brought about havoc, as we gleaned from the folktale, to Maculay Otire’s groin and testes. He was carried off and by no means returned to proceed the match.
Lengthy after the match which Benin received Macaulay Otire was blamed for under-rating Peter Fregene, the “small boy goal-keeper” who ‘pensioned’ the Inexperienced Eagles maestro. How come he didn’t know that the “small boy goal-keeper” was on tiger-snake sort of medication? That match made Peter Fregene and snatched him completely from Sapele.
Tales upon tales of excellent sports activities deeds have been circulated regarding Peter Fregene. The opposite Sapele goal-keepers seemingly went into oblivion. And I can image now our Council Faculty goal-keeper Harry Fombo who wished to out-class Peter Fregene and now not Peter Aghante and Abu Malaya. I don’t know the place Harry Fombo is now, however like many people who’re scattered somewhere else of the globe and moved on to completely different endeavours.
I’ve stated what I’ve stated thus far however with some passionate and emotional depth as Peter Fregene, the nicely celebrated Safarian and gem and denizen of our sporting metropolis and boyhood is leaving us – or has left us. My emotions are profoundly profound, I don’t actually know methods to categorical them. Or have I expressed them intensely and thrilling sufficient? I don’t know. I can’t reply the query. All I can conclude with is that this: I’m filled with anguish however I say that my anguish ought to flip into religious pleasure as Peter Fregene rests soundly in God’s bosom after his ache and gloomier finish.Afejuku may be reached through 08055213059.
