In a surprising turn of events, a prominent Nigerian politician died while watching a thrilling Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semifinal match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, a respected figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former member of the House of Representatives, met his untimely demise while engrossed in the match. The game took place at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Wednesday and ended with Nigeria triumphing over South Africa in a penalty shootout, securing their place in the final.
This semifinal encounter marked the Super Eagles’ impressive 15th appearance in the AFCON semifinals and proved to be an intense and nerve-wracking affair for both teams.
Nigeria took the lead by scoring the first goal of the game. In the 65th minute, Mothobi Mvala committed a foul on Victor Osimhen inside the South African 18-yard area, resulting in a penalty being awarded to the Super Eagles. Troost-Ekong confidently converted the penalty, giving Nigeria the advantage.
However, the game took an unexpected turn deep into the second half. Osimhen believed he had secured a victory for the Super Eagles in regular time and began celebrating, only for the Video Assistant Referee to intervene. The review revealed a foul by Alhassan Yusuf on Percy Tau in the Nigerian box during the lead-up to the goal. The joy of Nigerians quickly turned to despair as a penalty was awarded to South Africa.
Teboho Mokoena skillfully executed the penalty, successfully levelling the scores.
Shortly after South Africa was awarded the penalty that levelled scores, Dr Cairo Ojuogboh reportedly collapsed, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
A source shared the following account:
“As soon as a penalty kick was awarded against Nigeria during the AFCON match with South Africa on Wednesday’s semi-final clash in Bouake, Ivory Coast, he slumped.”
Dr Cairo Ojuogboh, who represented the Ika Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, had a distinguished career. He served as the Director of Projects on the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Born on September 8, 1959, in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Dr. Ojuogboh was a highly respected medical doctor and the Chairman and Founder of the Ojougboh Foundation.
Source iHarare
