ONE of the greatest men who ever lived had laid bare their fate, albeit avoidable in saner climes, in these immortal words: 'A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.'How true this is for the trio of our tale: Dejo Fayemi, Olu Onagoruwa and Idowu Otubusen, alias Slow Poison!They were stars who shone dizzyingly bright in the firmament of their chosen sport ' football - across the nation and Africa.They attracted cult figure followership in their prime as their photographs in action for the fatherland adorned the pages of newspapers. Their countrymen and women, dead sure that these ones would rather die on the pitch of play than let Nigeria wobble down the ignoble walkway of defeat, vociferously rooted for them as they sweated in the nation's colours, dribbling and tackling in the field of play, striving 'with heart and might' to bring honour and glory to their fatherland.That was aeons ago. Now, not many remember them anymore'If those that should, did, the trio of Fayemi (no relation of Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi), Onagoruwa (not to be mistaken with former Attorney-General of the Federation, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa) and Otubusen should have been among the 360 or so of their compatriots given national honours in Abuja, yesterday.But they were not remembered. In fact, they have been abandoned by the nation they served! Now in their 60s and 70s, the country they loved and served so selflessly finds it convenient, very well so, to forget them year in, year out when it draws up its honours list.All former football stars who spent the better part of their lives in the colours of Nigeria and Industrial Investment and Credit Corporation (IICC) Shooting Stars of Ibadan, they brought glory to the club and country.Fayemi, who was part of the 1959 national team, was a household name in Nigerian football and up till today, he is still revered as one of the greatest footballers ever to file out in sporting battle for our nation.He would always be remembered for his brilliant performances in the colours of Nigeria as a member of the national team, then known as the Red Devils, in the late 1950s.Recounting his experience with the national team, 76-year-old Fayemi, who scored in his debut for the country, told The Guardian that he has nothing to show for playing for the country, save for a plaque the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) presented to him in year 2000 as a veteran of the Challenge Cup, Nigeria's most glamorous club competition in those days of yore, that is, now rechristened the Federations Cup.He said: 'In those days, playing for the national team was indeed a pride and you would always want to give your best on the pitch. I remember that I scored in my debut for Nigeria. I was proud to be part of the national team because I was young then, about 24, and I played with my heart. We were not given anything for playing for the national team because most of us were not after the money. We only wanted to make names for ourselves and bring glory to our country.'Those were the considerations that propelled us to always give our best for the team. The only money I made from playing then was the 25 given to me by the then Minister of Finance, Festus Okotie-Eboh, when I played very well against Ghana in my debut.'For septuagenarian Onagoruwa, life has been cruel since he retired from the Ogun State Sports Council as director.For four years, the 77-year-old former goalkeeper was the idolised safe-hand of the national soccer team in most of its matches.This is the beginning of a series on Nigerian Sports stars of yesteryears, Emmanuel Okala, Albert Onyeanwuna, Peter Fregene and many others coming soon.Yet, today, and despite his commitment, Onagoruwa says he has nothing to show for his service to his fatherland.His words: 'My life revolves round football and up till now, I am still involved in the game. One thing that football gave me that I cherished is good health, which cannot be bought. But I got nothing from playing for Nigeria. I am proud that I represented my country but it is sad that with what we did in those days, nobody, even the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), recognised us. This is indeed bad and I believe this is what prompted the present crop of players in the national team to always demand for their money before putting on the national colours. We gave everything for the team but nothing was given to us in return. Those days, we only played for pride.'In his twilight years, the former goalie is struggling to make ends meet and he laments that Nigeria treats its true heroes with disdain.He said: 'I regret playing for Nigeria and IICC Shooting Stars because at a time when I need their help, all my plea fell on deaf ears. It was in 2006 that IICC now 3SC presented me with a plaque in recognition of my service to the club. That was the only thing I have received since my sojourn in the national team and the club. We were not even considered for national honours by successive governments in this country. That makes it worse.'Otubusen is also very disturbed that the club and country had failed to assist him and the duo of Fayemi and Onagoruwa in any way after their several years of sterling services.He said: 'In those days, we wanted to play for our fatherland because it was a pride for us and representing the country at that time was indeed a privilege, not a right. You need to work hard to make the team, which some of us did.'But it is regrettable that those in charge of the game have discarded former players, especially in the area of welfare, which I think is not too much for them to do.'In a startling disclosure, Spokesman, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Ademola Olajire, told The Guardian that the federation has no records of past players who had featured for the country.His words: 'When I came in, there were no records of past players and we are just trying to put that together. For this administration, however, the welfare of former players is a priority as they served their fatherland diligently. In fact, we are planning to assist the family of ailing IICC legend, Sam Ojebode.
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