Israel Adebajo :: Stationery Stores Founder

[THE FAN]

Culled from The Guardian.

http://www.cybereagles.com/news/default.asp?id=801

Remembering Israel Adebajo

By Dennis Akhagba

L ATE Chief Israel Adebajo, the founder of Stationery Stores Football Club of Lagos, died on July 26 1969 at the Royal Free Hospital London. Thoughts of the 35th anniversary of the death of the "Flaming Flamingoes" founder manifested in my psyche when on Tuesday July 13, 2004 two private radio stations announced the appointment of Mr. Taiwo Affinih (an ex-Stationery Stores player) as the new Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association with the Master Dribbler Mr. Haruna Ilerika (ex-Stores FC long serving player) as member while Mr. Daniel Ajibode (ex-Stores FC defence ace and later coach to National Bank FC) was listed as a member of the reconstituted Lagos State Sports Council under the Chairmanship of erstwhile Basketball Coach, Mr. Agboola Pinheiro.

The late Chief Israel Adebajo, it will be recalled, founded the Stationery Stores Football Club in 1958 and in terms of achievement on the local scene in Lagos State, it has won the Challenge Cup (now the Coca-cola F.A. Cup) over 16 times since the state was created in 1967, 1968, 1982 and 1990 and the National Professional League Division One title in 1992 (see The Guardian, Monday September 22, 2003, at page 65).

During his life time, Chief Adebajo demonstrated his love to his fatherland and commitment to the development of football in Nigeria in many ways, such as bearing the cost of importing special weather-friendly jerseys for use by members of the senior National team, the Green Eagles in 1968 during the Olympic Games qualifying series involving one North African team. The Stationery Stores Football Club subsequently supplied nine players to the Green Eagles team which represented Nigeria at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

The legacy left behind by the late Chief Israel Adebajo endured for several years as the club continued its contribution to the National team, such as in 1973 during the 2nd All Africa Games when the club had three players " Haruna Ilerika, the late Yakubu Mambo and Sanni Mohammed in the gold-medal winning Green Eagles team. Also, we cannot divorce the superlative exploits of goalkeepers Peter Fregene, Peter Rufai and Ike Shorunmu from their Stationery Stores roots.

One lesson which the late Chief Adebajo has succeeded in teaching the present generation of leaders is the use of his football club to foster peace, unity, love and friendship among the diverse ethnic groups in Lagos State and Nigeria as supporters of the club cut across tribe, age, sex, religion, creed or political ideology. The club succeeded in employment generation by recruiting players from Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and the Republic of Benin.

The fact that the Stationery Stores Football Club brought joy to the people of Lagos State cannot be over-emphasized and an incident which I will treasure for the rest of my life took place on Saturday, June 27 1992 when the club won its 13th Lagos State Challenge Cup title at the Onikan Stadium and some of the Club's supporters were singing and dancing through some streets on Lagos Island. I left the stadium after the match and was driving through Lewis Street/Bamgbose Street en-route Catholic Mission Street and was caught up in the attendant "go-slow" when one supporter sighted the club's sticker on the windscreen of my car, brought out his handkerchief, wiped the glass and kissed the sticker in a display of boundless joy. How I wished Baba Adebajo were alive to witness this expression of love, I said to myself.

When we reflect deeply on the positive contributions of the late Chief Israel Adebajo to the development of football in Lagos State and by extension Nigeria vis-a-vis the present fortunes of the Stationery Stores Football Club which cannot be said to be anything to cheer about, we will be tempted to ask ourselves whether the void created by the departure of the founder should not have been filled by the comfortable resources of the State Government.

Whenever suggestions are made for the take-over of the management of the Stationery Stores FC by the Lagos State Government, opponents of the idea have canvassed the argument that Lagos being a cosmopolitan state, the government should not be supporting one club and make itself liable to be accused of neglecting other clubs in the state. But proponents of the idea have pointed to the fact that other clubs in the state such as Julius Berger FC, NEPA etc. are being backed with huge financial resources of their parent companies /corporation.

It will not be out of place to mention here that the declining fortunes of football in Lagos State (and Nigeria) can be traced to the absence of robust competition offered to other clubs by the Stationery Stores FC. Most of the big clubs in the then National Professional Division One Football League (now the Premier League) such as Rangers International FC of Enugu, Iwuayanwu Nationale of Owerri, Eyimba FC of Aba, 3SC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Bendel Insurance of Benin have complained of poor gatetakings since the absence of Stores FC from the Big League and I strongly believe the Lagos State Government can take advantage of the tremendous goodwill and support enjoyed by Stationery Stores FC and tap into the goldmine of huge gate-takings waiting to be explored.

This will be an added boost to the Accelerated Revenue Generation (ARG) drive of the Lagos State Government and we have a good precedent in the huge success of the Executive Governor of Abia State Chief (Dr.) Orji Uzor Kalu with Eyimba FC of Aba who has turned the club into a money-spinning wonder.

Finally, as we mark the 35th anniversary of the death of late Chief Israel Adebajo today, it is my fervent hope that both the Lagos State Government and the fans of the club will put in place the machinery to immortalise this hero.

Akhagba is a legal practitioner in Lagos.

[Gotti]

It will not be out of place to mention here that the declining fortunes of football in Lagos State (and Nigeria) can be traced to the absence of robust competition offered to other clubs by the Stationery Stores FC. Most of the big clubs in the then National Professional Division One Football League (now the Premier League) such as Rangers International FC of Enugu, Iwuayanwu Nationale of Owerri, Eyimba FC of Aba, 3SC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Bendel Insurance of Benin have complained of poor gatetakings since the absence of Stores FC from the Big League and I strongly believe the Lagos State Government can take advantage of the tremendous goodwill and support enjoyed by Stationery Stores FC and tap into the goldmine of huge gate-takings waiting to be explored.

Even in the amateur league, Stores remain one of the most supported clubsides in all of West Africa. Unfortunately, the violent nature of some that support (particularly lately) tends to negate the positive.

[Waffiman]

If the Abebaju Babes get their act together, they can be the force they should be again. With that kind of support you just cannot go wrong.

[AJ Guru]

God bring back my darling Stores

[Hard Man]

How the mighty have fallen ... from the highs of domestic and continental Cup finals, to THIS..?! Israel Adebajo must be turning in his grave.

Not only do the Stores fans need to get with the program, the Adebajo family should cease the feuding that has brought this once-great club to its knees.

[Larry Ashagbe]

Up SUPER.

[Bomaye]

No matter how long it takes, we will be back. UP SUPER!

[HAWKEYE]

The absence of Super Stores has taken the shine off Lagos football. Hope Afinnih, Ilerika and Ojebode can assist IF the Adebajo sibblings would let go.

I feel for teams like Rangers, 3SC, Iwunanyanwu, Enyimba and others who are surely missing the economy relevance of Super.

Lagos State does not need to take over, 'cos the supporters are very ready to buy the franchise..... but then are we really playing professional football yet???

[WINNERMAN]

It will not be out of place to mention here that the declining fortunes of football in Lagos State (and Nigeria) can be traced to the absence of robust competition offered to other clubs by the Stationery Stores FC. Most of the big clubs in the then National Professional Division One Football League (now the Premier League) such as Rangers International FC of Enugu, Iwuayanwu Nationale of Owerri, Eyimba FC of Aba, 3SC Shooting Stars of Ibadan and Bendel Insurance of Benin have complained of poor gatetakings since the absence of Stores FC from the Big League and I strongly believe the Lagos State Government can take advantage of the tremendous goodwill and support enjoyed by Stationery Stores FC and tap into the goldmine of huge gate-takings waiting to be explored.

Even in the amateur league, Stores remain one of the most supported clubsides in all of West Africa. Unfortunately, the violent nature of some that support (particularly lately) tends to negate the positive.

l hope you are not trying to create the impression that only stores fans are violent.That impression will be very wrong and end up diverting attention from what is obviously a national problem.

[WINNERMAN]

The values of merit, fairness and some limited proffesionalism that lsrael Adebajo built stores on are the values that won stores many friends, supporters and admirers.

lt is a crying shame that the ursurper of leadership in the current era is completely unaware[and even disrespectful] of these values. Under the current visionless leadership,it seems store can not sink low enough.

She seem to have no plans for the darling team of lagos and continues to treat the affairs of the team with unbelievable levity. She is making the impression of a parasite that sucks and sucks until the host is dead.

One way,l hope, stores will rise from the ashes of her parasitism and tyranny. l hope it will be before the host is sucked to death.

[Jimi]

I remember back then when lagos had Clubs like Stationery Stores, ACB bank, Julius Berger and I think first Bank. Ogun State countered with the great Abiola babes playing at Asero stadium. In Oyo State, we had the great Ibadan combo of IICC ( 3SC) ,and Leventis, Femo Scorpions. chei! Permit me to stay on memory lane here folks.. Bendel State had NNB, Flash flamengoes, and Bendel Insurance..Who can forget BCC lions of Gboko with the Kpakor brothers..Moses and Terfa right? Up North we had JIB rocks of Jos and Mighty jets of Jos too, and there was also a major team that played in Gusau, can't remember..Who can forget Niger Tornadoes and Kwara United. Finally, back east ( before any Enyimba) we had the great Rangers of Enugu, Sharks of PH, and Spartans of Owerri ( later Iwuanyanwu nationale) ...Men oh men I was young, but I made sure I stayed up on my soccer. The challenge cup, even at the State stages was really sweet back then too. Who remembers Water Corporation of Ibadan?

[wanaj0]

Jimi, Na Zamfara of Gusau

How come Vasco was not inluded in your list.

UNTL and Ranchers Bees should also get some mention.

1983/1984 Challenge cup was supper. It made the new and upcoming clubs to upstage the older and established clubs.

Those were the good old days.

[ikwerreman]

Jimi, Na Zamfara of Gusau

How come Vasco was not inluded in your list.

UNTL and Ranchers Bees should also get some mention.

1983/1984 Challenge cup was supper. It made the new and upcoming clubs to upstage the older and established clubs.

Those were the good old days.

It was Club 50 of Gusau...They metamorphosed to Zamfara

[Hard Man]

Zamfara Textiles, popularly known as Zamtex.

Watched them once draw 1-1 against Akure Housing Corporation. It was a game they ought to have won, but they came to play for a draw, got it, and disappeared back to Gusau.

Housing boasted a defense that included a fledgling Ajibade Babalade. They went ahead, but Zamtex equalized less than 15 seconds after the restart from a lightning-fast attack that revealed not less than 7 champion class 100 meter sprinters in their side --Housing had no answer whatsoever. The ball was only ever head-high when it left the ground at all. With form like that, you realized they were toying with Housing, they could have overwhelmed Housing right then and there, but seemed content to play for their draw.

Incidentally the Zamtex coach at the time was the late Peter "Eto" Amaechina.

Jimi, yup, those were the days.

In Lagos, we had ACB --complete with Merenini, Nwosu, Ezekwesili, Osadolor, keeper "Pinner" Abade.

The Bridge Boys over at Julius Berger brought Gravix Abechendrix to the table, with the late Eyo Martins, Adeolu Adekola, Christian Obi, Peter Nieketien et al.

Stores were Stores, Tarila, "Baba Joo" Shittu, Obinyan, Ashinze et al.

First Bank completed the Lagos mix, and boasted a certain Fatai Amoo, more recently identified as coach of Julius Berger.

Oyo; Leventis, IICC, Femo Scorpions of Eruwa .. even Femo boasted of Rufai and Christopher Nwosu but they never were able to break the IICC-Leventis stranglehold on Oyo football. And who could forget Water "no get enemy"? They made history as the first Nigerian clubside to defeat the dreaded Hafia of Guinea, under the keen guidance of "Baxter" Onigbinde.

When you talk about the East, you cannot omit Calabar Rovers from the mix. At a time, under Dominic "Alhaji" Nwobodo, they boasted the best midfield in the Nigerian league, but were always destined to be also-rans .. when their best players were constantly poached by the bigger clubs. However who can forget the way James Etokebe dismantled the entire Abiola Babes defense .. and I mean Sofoluwe, Disu et al... put their netminder Best Ogedegbe on his derriere, and buried the winner into the unguarded net to help Rovers claim the Challenge Cup bronze? Classic!

That's memory lane for me!

[THE FAN]

1983/1984 Challenge cup was supper. It made the new and upcoming clubs to upstage the older and established clubs.

I would favour 1985 (or was it 1986) ..... when the final four were Leventis United, Abiola Babes, Nationale, and Kwara "Utility" Bombers. That HAD to be the coolest name in football ... "Utility Bombers".

[Toxicarrow]

1983/1984 Challenge cup was supper. It made the new and upcoming clubs to upstage the older and established clubs.

I would favour 1985 (or was it 1986) ..... when the final four were Leventis United, Abiola Babes, Nationale, and Kwara "Utility" Bombers. That HAD to be the coolest name in football ... "Utility Bombers".

It was 1986.

[Gotti]

Even in the amateur league, Stores remain one of the most supported clubsides in all of West Africa. Unfortunately, the violent nature of some that support (particularly lately) tends to negate the positive.

l hope you are not trying to create the impression that only stores fans are violent.That impression will be very wrong and end up diverting attention from what is obviously a national problem.

WINNERMAN:
I am not exactly sure where you get the impression that I was asserting that "only stores fans are violent." Nevertheless, Stores fans have a well-earned reputation for violence that undermines the massive numbers that are the envy of virtually every other club -- and the fact that so-and-so is also violent is frankly the most obtuse 'justification' for it.

[WINNERMAN]

Even in the amateur league, Stores remain one of the most supported clubsides in all of West Africa. Unfortunately, the violent nature of some that support (particularly lately) tends to negate the positive.

l hope you are not trying to create the impression that only stores fans are violent.That impression will be very wrong and end up diverting attention from what is obviously a national problem.

WINNERMAN:
I am not exactly sure where you get the impression that I was asserting that "only stores fans are violent." Nevertheless, Stores fans have a well-earned reputation for violence that undermines the massive numbers that are the envy of virtually every other club -- and the fact that so-and-so is also violent is frankly the most obtuse 'justification' for it.

There is no justification for violence .Violence in our soccer is a national phenomenon and it should be tackled that way. Putting it at the doorstep of any team will not help at all.

[Jimi]

Sorry for forgetting Calabar Rovers and Ranchers Bees of Kaduna. Honorable mention to Vasco Dagama back east too.