THE RASHIDI YEKINI FAMILY SAGA(Part 1..His Background and his rough road to stardom with exclusive pictures)
By Ayo
Ademokoya.
Rashidi Yekini was a football icon whose private
life is hidden to the press. Towards the tail end of his sojourn on planet
earth, “Gangling” as he was fondly called seldom grant press interview and if
he ever he did, it would be at the
early stage of his career.
Some believed
that it was his lack of formal education and his inability to speak fluent
English language was the bane between him and the members of the press but
unknown to many Rashidi actually developed himself to an appreciable level and
became a multilingual who can speak English, French, Arabic, Hausa, Portuguese
and Yoruba fluently.
The main reason he avoided the press according to sources
close to him was his fear of been misquoted hence he avoided the press like a
leech.
Four years after his demise, www.harohkah.blogspot.com.ng
decided to review and investigate the family
of Rashidi Yekini after death, the
troubles going on in his family so that the public would understand what
actually is going on with the man Nigerians loved so much for his goal scoring
prowess which is second to none till date in the history of Nigeria football.
Before we can understand the troubles going on in
his family right now, there is need for us to look critically at the background
of Rashidi, understand his struggles to stardom, the mysterious circumstances surrounding
his death and finally the present stage at which we are after 4 years and
possibly proffer solution to the future so that other football stars could
avoid such occurrence while they are living if Rashidi ever made one in his
life.
Born in 1963, Rashidi Yekini Labioye preferred to
immortalize his father’s first name Yekini because of his undying love for him.
He was from Labioye’s compound very close to the palace of Onira of Ira,Kwara
state. His father Yekini Labioye was the third out of the four brothers namely,
Kusamotu labioye, Mudashiru Labioye and Kasali Labioye.
Yekini Labioye had ten children from two wives
Sikiratu and Wosilatu. Sikira, Rashidi’s mother a petty trader had Kamoru his
first son in 1959, Rashidi in 1963, Ismaila and Akeem all boys later before the
demise of Yekini Labioye who died in a ghastly motor accident on his way back
to Ira from his base in Tundun Nupawa in Kaduna while transporting the building
materials meant for the completion of his new building in Ira. The house was eventually taken over by his siblings a situation which must have forced Sikiratu to remarry a Nupe man in Niger state and had Rofiat for him.
Rashidi prefers to play football and was eventually
suspended from school for luring other pupils to a location he has prepared as
a football field in the bush. For weeks teachers observed the dwindling
attendants of pupils in the school whom they did not know had joined Rashidi at
his makeshift football field in the bush not too long reports got to the
headmaster that it was a ‘truant’ called Rashidi that discouraged other boys
from studying. He was expelled.
Instead of re -enrolling in another school, Rashidi
was always in chain without light, water or food for days by his uncle,
Mudashiru Labioye who is an Islamic scholar for quranic education just like the
almajiri. This must have been the
reason why Rashidi lived a life of recluse even at the peak of his career and
towards the end of his life in 2012.
Rashidi ran back to Kaduna where he hunted Bush rat
for living, washed cars for survival and
played football and cleansed the boots of the likes of Tajudeen Olaiya
of Ranchers Bees of Kaduna before he could feed.
H e was the highest goal scorer in the Kaduna
Football Association league for his club and before you know it he starred for
UNTL FC of Kaduna and later got lured to Ibadan in 1983 to play for Shooting
Stars where he rose to stardom.
He left for Abiola Babes in 1985 , moved out of the
country to play professional football in Ivory Coast where he became a mini-god
of soccerin the Ivorien capital. He later plied his trade in Europe Portugal,
Switzerland, France, Greece and also in Saudi Arabia before coming back home to
play for Julius Berger in the Nigerian Premier league, a move which was highly
applauded by soccer pundits in the nation.
For the Super Eagle of Nigeria ,Rashidi Yekini
scored a total of 37 goals for the country in 58 matches and could have broken
and set the new record of been the all time highest goal scorer at the African Cup of nation...
To be continued....
Exclusive pictures of
1).Ayo Ademokoya at the entrance of rashidi Yekinis village at Ira,Oyun Local government ,Kwara state.
2) Exclusive picture of Rashidi Yekini's father,Yekini Labioye
3)Ayo speaking with Kasali Labioye Rashidi's uncle
4) Kusamotu another uncle of late Rashid Yekini
5)Sikiratu Yekin,Rashidi's mother
6)Muda Labioye (sitting) while Akeem explaining my mission to Ira
To be continued....
Exclusive pictures of
1).Ayo Ademokoya at the entrance of rashidi Yekinis village at Ira,Oyun Local government ,Kwara state.
2) Exclusive picture of Rashidi Yekini's father,Yekini Labioye
3)Ayo speaking with Kasali Labioye Rashidi's uncle
4) Kusamotu another uncle of late Rashid Yekini
5)Sikiratu Yekin,Rashidi's mother
6)Muda Labioye (sitting) while Akeem explaining my mission to Ira
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