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Christian Chukwu’s Death Brings Back NFF’s Long History of Betraying Local Coaches

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1 week ago

Apr 14, 2025.

Ex-Super Eagles player and coach 'Chairman' Christian Chukwu

The Saturday, April 12, 2025, passing of ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, a Nigerian football legend and former Super Eagles coach, has once again brought attention to a painful issue in Nigerian football—the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) long history of owing local coaches their dues.

Chukwu, who passed away at 74, had spoken out many times about the money the NFF owed him. Reports say he was still owed around $128,000 (about ₦204 million) from his time as head coach between 2002 and 2005. Sadly, there is no evidence that he got paid before his death.

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But Chukwu wasn’t the only one. Many Nigerian coaches have suffered the same fate over the years—serving their country, winning trophies, and still not getting paid.

A Pattern That Goes Back Years

Christian Chukwu (2002–2005)

Chukwu was more than a coach—he was a national hero. He captained Nigeria to victory in the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations and later coached the national team. He led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, but the NFF removed him from his job in the build-up to the 2005 World Cup qualifiers.

Despite his achievements, he struggled for the rest of his life to get the NFF to pay him what they owed. His case became a symbol of how local coaches are treated unfairly, especially compared to foreign coaches who are usually paid more and on time.

Ex-Super Eagles player and coach 'Chairman' Christian Chukwu

In a 2008 interview with the BBC, Chukwu said he was being owed more than $128,000 since September 2006 when his contract officially ended, adding that he had lost patience with the country’s football federation.

“It is annoying that I toiled so much and these people at the NFA [Nigeria Football Association, which was NFF’s former name] cannot figure out ways of sorting out the money they owe me,” Chukwu said.

“I have made several efforts through writing, telephone calls and visits to the NFA office but there is still no word. The last time, they assured me that they will get to the bottom of the matter. It’s very frustrating and annoying to be treated this way, I am very sure a foreign coach will not be treated this way.”

However, the NFF, through Ademola Olajire, its spokesperson at the time, denied owing the ex-Super Eagles skipper, while requesting “concrete evidence” backing up the financial liability.

“If he claims he is owed some money he should provide concrete evidence and we will follow it up from this end. But today we do not have such evidence and cannot act on verbal claims. The new Nigerian coach [Shaibu Amodu] was being owed from 2002 and we sorted him out some months back,” Olajire told BBC Sport.

Nevertheless, Chukwu maintained that he was still being owed 16 years later during an interview with The Athletic Nigeria in April 2024.

“They owe Nigerian coaches. They don’t owe foreign coaches. It is a problem. You take on an indigenous coach who takes a cheap salary, and you owe him,” Chukwu said.

“Is it proper? Are you encouraging him to do his job? I am still being owed up to today. They are still owing me till tomorrow. My files are there with the NFF. There is nothing I can do [to get them to pay me]. The file is there. Go to their office, and you will see how much they owe me. Not only me but other indigenous coaches are being owed, too. Some are late.”

Without a single sense of irony, the NFF was quick to pay tribute to Chukwu on Saturday, describing him as a strong, dedicated and disciplined leader on and off the field, when it failed to reward those attributes while he was alive.

Stephen Keshi (2011–2015)

Stephen Keshi is one of Nigeria’s most successful coaches. He won the 2013 AFCON and took the Super Eagles to the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. Yet, he also faced delays in getting his salary. After the World Cup, the NFF ended his contract, but many reports say he was still owed money until his death in 2016. In fact, Keshi once resigned in frustration, only to return later.

Late Stephen Keshi, former Super Eagles player and coach

His story showed how local coaches are often not respected, even when they succeed.

Shuaibu Amodu (Multiple Stints: 1994–2015)

Amodu coached Nigeria during several periods and even helped the team qualify for two World Cups. Despite this, he too was regularly owed salaries and bonuses. He passed away in 2016, and like others, was still being owed money by the NFF. His case showed that even long-time, successful coaches were not safe from this tragedy.

Samson Siasia (Multiple stints: 2005–2016)

Siasia, another former player turned coach, didn’t hold back when talking about how poorly local coaches are treated.

Ex-Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia

In 2024, he revealed that Nigerian coaches were paid as little as ₦1 million a month, while foreign coaches made around $50,000. During his time coaching Nigeria’s U-23 team to Olympic medals in 2008 and 2016, he often faced delayed payments. Eventually, he walked away from the job, frustrated with the system.

Godwin Izilien (2004)

Izilien led the Super Falcons to the 2004 Women’s AFCON title, but even that wasn’t enough to get his dues. He was still waiting to be paid 20 years later, as of the time of his death in February 2024. In a February 2021 interview with NAN, the title-winning Super Falcons coach pleaded with the NFF to pay him and his coaching crew their $28,750 entitlement before his death.

“I should be honoured while I am still alive and not when I am gone. NFF should honour me now by paying me the money and not cry and write glowing tributes when I am dead,” Izilein said three years before his death, while still being owed by the NFF.

Late Super Falcons coach, Godwin Izilien

Unironically, following his passing, the NFF “mourned,” shamelessly decorating him with empty words in place of the action it denied him in life.

Augustine Eguavoen (Multiple stints: 2005–Present)

Eguavoen has stepped in as Super Eagles coach many times, often on short notice. Even though he always answered the call, he too has faced delays in getting paid. His loyalty is clear, but so is the NFF’s lack of support.

Augustine Eguavoen

Other Coaches, Same Story

Many other local coaches have gone through the same thing. Sunday Oliseh quit in 2016 over unpaid wages. Florence Omagbemi dealt with similar issues while coaching the Super Falcons. And in 2023, Ladan Bosso was reportedly paid for only three out of 15 months while managing the U-20 team. These aren’t random cases—they show a system that consistently fails Nigerian coaches.

The Bigger Picture

The NFF often says it’s facing “financial challenges,” but many believe there’s more to the story. In 2013, the then-Senate President, David Mark, called the NFF the most corrupt agency in Nigeria. Allegations of mismanagement and corruption have followed the federation for years.

What’s worse is the clear gap in how foreign and local coaches are treated. Foreigners like Gernot Rohr and Jose Peseiro have also faced delays—but they were paid far more and usually settled faster. Local coaches are expected to keep working without pay and remain loyal.

This ongoing issue has discouraged many talented coaches from working with the national teams. It hurts morale and creates mistrust. And when coaches like Chukwu, Keshi, Izilien, and Amodu die with their debts unpaid, it sends a painful message: that their service wasn’t valued.

This painful lesson seeps into nearly all facets of the Nigerian society with hardworking, loyal, and patriotic Nigerians feeling betrayed and being played for fools. The consequence is a people detached from the Nigerian project, while the country suffers for it. If Nigeria does not start to value its heroes and patriots, it will continue to lose its best and pay the price of disloyalty.

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