Honouring Thunder Balogun’s Memory, Son Speaks Out

The son of Nigerian football star, Teslim “Thunder” Balogun, Kayode Balogun, is calling for his father’s legacy to be remembered. He warned that the government should not let the memory of the icon fade away as the family marked 54 years since his passing.

Kayode said the Lagos State government showed great respect by naming the multi-purpose stadium in Surulere after his father. But he expressed disappointment that not much happens at the stadium now.

“Government must not allow my father’s legacy to die. There should be sporting activities there to keep the place booming,” he stated.

Balogun, who was one of Nigeria’s top footballers, passed away in his sleep in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the age of 45. His family still does not understand what caused his death. Kayode shared memories from the morning his father died.

“When he got back home from work the evening before his demise, he was in his usual self, jubilant and cheerful. After a light shower, he took his dinner. We all went to bed, no complaints. Early in the morning, we were woken up by a scream from Dad’s bedroom,” he recalled.

“It was mummy. When we rushed to the bedroom to find out what happened, we saw mum just screaming and pointing at our daddy, lying still on the bed. A few neighbours came in after hearing mum’s scream. She called a doctor who came in moments later and confirmed that our father was dead. Later, they took the body to the morgue. To date, we still don’t know what killed him.”

Balogun married Alhaja Mulikat Balogun in 1955. Before they married, Mulikat was a table tennis player. She was introduced to Balogun by the late Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, a sports lover.

She joined him in London in 1956 when he played for Queens Park Rangers and later became the support of the family after his death, raising their eight children.

Known for a powerful shot that earned him the nickname “Thunder,” Balogun played for the Nigerian national team for 12 years. He was part of the famous UK Tourists side.

He won the Governor’s Challenge Cup five times from seven finals while playing for Nigerian clubs like Marine Athletics, Pan Bank, Jos XI, UAC and Railway, and also for English teams Peterborough United and Queens Park Rangers.

He was the first African to become a professional football coach. Kayode explained that it was Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the former Premier of Western Nigeria, who urged Balogun to return from England to grow the sport in the area.

“While in England, the former Premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, persuaded my father to return and help develop the game in the region. He heeded the call, came back and took Western Nigeria to their first Challenge Cup triumph,” Kayode said.

Balogun later coached the Nigerian national team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. After losing to Japan and Spain, they managed to draw 3-3 with Brazil.

As a coach, Balogun was known for finding and nurturing talent. He helped develop coaches like the late Chief Adegboye Onigbinde and coach Jossy Lad. Another of his children, Engineer Olamide Balogun, remembered him as a loving family man.

“He was a man who loved his children and ensured he was close to them. He visited us at school and helped in whatever way he could to make us happy and comfortable,” he said.