Yomi Peters’ timing as a striker was phenomenal during his playing days for the national team and Lagos side, Stationery Stores, in the 1970s.
But the 74-year-old admits that he got his timing wrong entering the football business. Perhaps he came too early and should have waited a little bit before becoming a footballer and earn megabucks like Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and several other generation of Nigerian players who came after him.
Peters played alongside the likes of the late Haruna Ilerika, Mohammed Lawal, Yakubu Mambo, Francis Ukot, Ben Ajibode, Sani Muhammed, Tony Igwe and others for Stores and was hero-worshipped alongside these big names.
Years later, after quitting the game as a player, Peters realised that he should have kept his skills a bit later.
“If God would allow me to choose, I would ask one thing from Him. I would tell him that I don’t want to go at the wrong time as I did during my first time. I would tell Him to send me when there is money in football unlike the wrong time that I played,” Peters told SUNDAY PUNCH in an interview in 2012.
Events have proven him right two years later. He is currently on a sickbed at the General Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, battling for his life after being diagnosed with gastric tumour.
The man, once a household name, now has the Lagos State Government to thank after it came to his rescue to help sort out his hospital bills.
Peters’ wife, Toyin, told our correspondent that the family was initially in a fix on how to pay the hospital bills but a delegation from the sports-loving Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, she said, assured them of settling the bills.
“It’s not been easy. We were running around to get few friends to help us out. Buying drugs has not been easy; we buy on a daily basis. In the theatre they told us the fee for the operation. They said it can be done but he will not be discharged until we pay for it. They said if we didn’t pay the bill, we won’t leave here. We haven’t paid the bills, we only buy drugs.
“But when the governor and commissioner for sports sent people to see my husband, they promised to offset the bills. Now we are relieved.”
Perhaps, if he had hearkened to the voice of his parents, who had wanted him to quit football for a degree in either law or medicine, he would have been able to pay his bills.
“Their (parents) dream for me at that time was to either become a doctor or a lawyer but for me, I didn’t see myself becoming either. I was not interested in becoming a doctor because we did not have any health issues in our family. I was not also keen on becoming a lawyer because we were law abiding people in our family.”
All he wanted to do was to play football and make Nigerians happy. But after playing the beautiful game, life has been a bag of mixed fortunes for Peters.
Indeed, he first had symptoms of gastric tumour in 2012 but thought it was ulcer.
Toyin said, “For about two years, he has been complaining of ulcer and he would get a doctor to prescribe ulcer drugs for him. But about a month ago, I was about to go to work when he started vomiting. I saw the traces of blood in it and I called his daughter and we took him to the hospital. I ran to work and came back but there was no improvement.
“He called his friend to come to his aid because he could no longer eat anything, he would vomit even after taking a drop of water. He was vomiting foamy substance and his friend referred us to Funto Hospital. We were there for five days but there was no improvement. They asked us to go for a test and they suspected gas in his belly. So they asked us to go for a CT Scan, which showed he had gastric tumour.
“He needed to be operated on immediately, so we were referred here (General Hospital).”
Peters says his present condition should serve as a reference point for the younger generation of players.
“This is a very big lesson for all of us, not just in football alone. After a very hard job, one should go back for medical checkup because of your future. It can happen to anybody. At home, I joked with my wife, ‘Is it the food that I eat that has made my belly big?’ I didn’t know it was a very big ailment,” he said.
“But I give glory to God that my situation has improved. Initially I thought I had ulcer but when we started the test and CT Scan, it was discovered that I had gastric tumour. And they decided that I had to be operated on and so I rallied round to raise funds for the operation.”
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Segun Oguns, lamented the present state of Peters, saying ex-footballers should find a way to help each other in situations like this.
He said, “Sports is not pensionable. You can be injured early in life. Where do you return to? I am sure for 50 years of Peters’ life, he’s been in sports. Now he is 74, what do we have to look after him at old age?
“That is why we (ex-footballers) have to come together so that we can fend for people like Peters at old age. We pray that some of our colleagues will understand this and come under one umbrella, so that at old age, we will all get old at some time, we can have things to fall back on.
“Some of our colleagues who played for this country are blind, some are down with stroke.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has named the legendary player among a list of 13 people to be honoured on November 23, when Enyimba International play Dolphins FC in the final of the 2014 Federation Cup.
Other ex-stars of the competition who would be honoured alongside Peters are Pa Herbert Omohkaye, George Hassan, Peter Fregene, KadiriIkhana, Henry Ogboe, Festus Okubule, Jonathan Nwaiwu and Peter Anieke.
Late sports writer Ayo Ositelu, Aloysius Atuegbu, Ogidi Ibeabuchi and Sunday Dankaro would be honoured post-humously.
Another feather in the cap for the man nicknamed Kwango because of his dangerous forehead.
“I have been told and I am grateful to the Lagos State Government,” he said.
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