OSUN (Sundiata Post) – A former Osun State Commissioner for Works, Mr Remi Omowaiye, on Thursday, urged Nigerians managing hypertension to avoid next Sunday’s final match of the African Cup of Nations.
Omowaiye, in a statement obtained in Osogbo, said the warning had become necessary following reports of the death of some football fans caused by shock during the semi-final match, won by the Super Eagles of Nigeria against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Wednesday.
The former commissioner, who admitted shivering when a penalty was awarded against Nigeria in the dying minutes of the match, said he would not watch the final match but would only watch the replay after the match had ended.
He called on the Nigeria Football Federation to pay tributes to the memory of those who lost their lives watching the match, noting that the departed deserve to be honoured even in death.
The statement read in part, “The Super Eagles of Nigeria should mourn those who died while watching the semi-final match on Wednesday. I want to advise Nigerians in their interest, especially those managing hypertension. “They should not watch the final match on Sunday. They better wait till the game ends and watch the replay. The way I felt particularly when a penalty was awarded against Nigeria during the semi-final match, I had never felt like that in my whole life. I was shivering.
“Even after the match, I was still shivering. I advise Nigerians managing hypertension to avoid watching the final match. NFF needs to mourn people who died as a result of shock during the semi-final match.
“A leader of APC in Delta State, Dr Cairo, passed out during the match, and a notable Nigerian businessman operating in Cote D’Ivoire also died. The Deputy Bursar of a university in Kwara State also passed out.
“It was also reported that a Corps member in Kaduna also slumped and died during the match. Those are the ones reported. There may be several other unreported cases.”
Nigeria and the host nation, Cote D’Ivoire would meet on Sunday in the final match of the Nations Cup, after both won their semi-final matches against South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively.
