“Ex-Corper” rallies for support as football legend Rashidi Yekini’s grave “sinks into deplorable state”
An ex-National Youth Service Corps member, Oladimeji Adeoti has taken it upon himself to give Nigerian legendary striker Rashidi Yekini a “more befitting” resting place.
Adeoti lamented the deplorable state the late Kwara State footballer’s grave has sunken to, and is determined in his efforts to give it a more honourable look.
Since Yekini passed in May 2012, there have been reports that his family – including an ageing mother – have been ignored by a country he served so diligently.
Adeoti said his thoughts had drifted to the former Super Eagles’ striker when he saw him being celebrated in far away Portugal months ago.
According to him, a discussion among the then-serving “corpers” about the man that passionately hugged the goal-post net in Nigeria’s first World Cup appearance in 1994 led to one of them saying he knew his resting place.
“We all rushed down only to see a goat and chicken perched on his grave and the ladies started crying.” Adeoti recalled the first time he visited the striker’s grave during his service year in Kwara.
The sight broke Adeoti’s heart and he resolved, from then on, to play his part in making the grave a befitting one for Yekini.
The “corper’s” initial efforts were, however, thwarted when his Local Inspector (LI) allegedly attempted to hijack Adeoti’s goodwill of fundraising for his personal benefit.
He has now revealed that he is as determined as ever to see the project through after successfully amassing sizeable engagement and support on social media to raise funds.
“I am calling on the general public to lend a voice to this cause,” Adeoti passionately told Newsroom Nigeria on Saturday.
“If we can raise enough awareness – and enough money – we can change the outlook of the grave and donate the remainder of the money to his family,” he continued.
The last major report on how any relation of the football legend was faring, was when MTN, in its now rested popular show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, rewarded the football legend’s ageing mother with N2million cash.
Just like Adeoti, can the public rally together, to lift the great Yekini one more time?
