Friends of Keshi to roll out plans for memorial lecture
By Ifeanyi Eduzor
Friends of former Super Eagles’ captain and Coach, Stephen Keshi are planning to roll out activities that will herald the 6th Stephen Keshi memorial lecture expected to take place in Lagos in the last week of June.
Coordinator of the programme, Austin Popo told newstap.com.ng that the event will be heralded by a press conference scheduled for June 7th this year where they will unveil the venue and other activities lined up to honour the former football icon who died on June, 7, 2016.
“We’ve been holding the memorial lecture in his home state Delta and Edo but this time we decided to move it to Lagos because the late Stephen Keshi is not a local champion but qualifies as a national hero and African asset and as such should not only be celebrated in his home state.
“You’re also aware that Keshi lived most of his youthful life in Lagos where he attended school and began his football career before playing for the defunct New Nigerian Bank ( NNB) of Benin City and later moved to Belgium for professional football and it’s necessary that we honour him this time around in Lagos”, he stressed.
“It’s equally important to state that in the last five editions, we normally organise the memorial lecture on June 7 which was the day he died, but we’re being mindful of the fact that the date is too close to the May, 29 inauguration ceremony and that was why we decided to hold the press conference that day to sign post what will happen in the lecture which will hopefully come up in the last week of June.
He further explained that they’re hoping that since Keshi started his football career in Lagos, the Lagos State Government will que into what they’re doing.
” In the last edition in Benin City, the Honourable Minister of Sports sent a representative. We’ve also had representatives from the Delta State Government in previous editions and it won’t be out of place for Lagos State Government to get interested in what we’re doing to honour the late football icon who started his career in Lagos”, he concluded.
