With right facilities, Nigeria can become great sporting nation again, says Bazuaye

Unless he tells you, you will not know that Osarieme Bazuaye, a retired veterinary doctor, is 80 years old. The retired footballer and cricketer, who spends much of his time playing golf at the Ikeja Golf Club, will mark his 80th birthday today at the same club.

Surrounded by family and friends, the former ECN Football Club star will also use the opportunity of the celebration to launch his foundation, which he intends to use in providing some vital facilities for his old school, Edo College.

Bazuaye, who has traversed the nooks and crannies of the country from his primary school days in Enugu to his university education at the ABU, Kaduna, also intends to use the birthday celebration to canvass a return to grassroots sports development, which, he said, served the country well in his days.
Born on August 24, 1944, in Ugbague Quarters, Benin, Edo State, Bazuaye has lived through all the good times and the current situation of the country, and thus, has a strong opinion on what has gone wrong with the nation.

Known as Sam Baz in his playing days “because somebody translated my name, Osarieme, to Sammy, Bazuaye says the country has the required human resources to became one of the greatest sporting nations of the world. Using his experience to illustrate his point, Bazuaye said that he became interested in sports in the 1950s because the country had many sports facilities across the regions, adding that the Europeans made sports enticing to the youth of his era.
“My late father was a keen cricketer, who was a regular member of the Kaduna European cricket team. I occasionally accompanied him to the Kaduna Race course during practice and competitive matches. That was how I gained interest in cricket.

“When I was at Edo College,