A California celebration rekindles more than five decades of friendship and brotherhood
Some friendships begin by chance. The rare ones become part of your life’s story.
When I travelled to California to celebrate Mrs. Fola Olukanni’s birthday, I expected a joyful weekend with family and friends. What I did not expect was to be carried back more than fifty years, to the streets and football fields of Lagos, where a friendship that has endured across generations first began.
Standing once again with Segun and Femi Olukanni, I was reminded that while football introduced us, friendship kept us together. Long after the cheers faded and the trophies were stored away, the bond we built as young boys remained.
Our friendship dates back to the early 1970s in Ebute Metta, Lagos, where football was more than a game—it was a way of life. Like many boys of our generation, we played wherever there was enough space to kick a ball. Those carefree afternoons eventually led us to Olaleye Boys’ Club and later 7 Pillars Boys’ Club, where discipline, teamwork, resilience, and lifelong friendships were forged.
Among my teammates were Eugene Odiye (Coachie), Amechi Nwogu, Andrew Uti, Stephen Keshi, Mathew Akeite, Benson Akpoedafe, and Sunday Tashie. Although Segun, Stephen Keshi, and Andrew Uti lived in nearby communities, our friendship brought them to Olaleye Boys’ Club, where we played together as one family.
Football soon opened doors we could never have imagined. Through the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), we represented Nigeria abroad, winning the Gothia Cup in Sweden and competing at the Dallas Cup in the United States. Ironically, we later became rivals in Lagos’ famous Principals’ Cup,, with me representing St. Finbarr’s College while Segun and Femi represented CMS Grammar School. Once the school competition ended, we simply became teammates again.
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Our journey continued at National Bank Football Club, where we balanced banking careers with competitive football. In 1982, we celebrated winning the prestigious Oba Cup, defeating NEPA and the legendary Stationery Stores on our way to lifting the trophy. Later that year, we reached the Lagos State Challenge Cup Final, although I missed the match while in Nigeria’s national team camp preparing for international duty.
Our football journey later took us to the Flying Eagles and Leventis United before education and life eventually brought us to the United States.
Looking back today, I realize football was never the destination.
It was the bridge.
The friendship was the destination.
Thousands of miles away in California, that journey reached another beautiful chapter.
From the moment guests began arriving, the atmosphere reflected everything that makes Nigerian celebrations unforgettable. Warm embraces replaced formal greetings. Laughter filled the room as relatives, lifelong friends, former footballers, and well-wishers gathered to celebrate a remarkable woman whose warmth had touched so many lives.
As tradition dictates, family and close friends gathered outside the hall before accompanying Fola and her husband, Femi, into the reception. With the familiar strains of Igwe filling the room, the couple danced joyfully into the hall, surrounded by their children, relatives, and friends. Guests celebrated them in the cherished Nigerian tradition of spraying dollar bills—a symbolic expression of honour, appreciation, and goodwill.
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The evening’s heartfelt speeches reflected the values that have sustained the Olukanni family for decades.
Fola thanked Almighty God for His faithfulness, expressed appreciation to her husband, children, relatives, and friends who had travelled from different states and countries, and reminded everyone that the greatest gift she had received was being surrounded by people who genuinely loved her.
Femi responded with equal warmth, describing Fola as the love of his life since they first met in London many years ago. He thanked her for the family they had built together and expressed gratitude to everyone who had travelled to celebrate with them, including his older brother, Segun, and his wife, Bimbo from Georgia; his younger sister, Funke,b from London; and the many relatives and friends whose presence made the occasion so meaningful.
One especially memorable moment came when the Master of Ceremonies recognized the former Nigerian internationals in attendance. As we stood together, the applause reminded us that football continues to connect generations of Nigerians long after our playing careers have ended.
The celebration also became a reunion of old friends. It was wonderful to reconnect with Francis Monidafe, President of the Nigerian Ex-International Footballers Association (NEIFA) in America, as well as Fred Ilesanmi, who travelled from Illinois, and Peter Nosegbe and Mr. Obemiasor Abebe, who made the trip from Georgia.
Perhaps the most emotional reunion was seeing Funke, whom I had not seen in more than forty years. As she, Segun, Femi, and Fola shared fond memories of their late mother, it felt as though she was present with us once again through the stories she had left behind.
As the evening drew to a close, I reflected on a journey that had taken us from dusty football fields in Lagos to a joyous family celebration in California.
As footballers, we once measured success by victories, medals, and international appearances.
Life has taught us a better measure.
The greatest victories are friendships that endure, families who welcome you as one of their own, and memories that grow more valuable with time.
Mrs. Fola Olukanni’s birthday was far more than a celebration of another year. It was a celebration of love, family, lifelong friendship, and God’s enduring grace.
In the end, that may be the greatest victory of all.
