Shooting Stars ex-chairman, oldest fan Lakondoro dies at 111
Olayiwola Lakondoro, former chairman of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan and oldest 3SC fan, on Thursday, died at 111 years.
Babatunde Olaniyan, incumbent 3SC chairman, confirmed his death on Thursday in Ibadan.
Mr Olaniyan said the club was contacted on Thursday about Mr Lakondoro’s death.
“I can confirm that he is dead. We have been contacted on his death this morning and we are already planning to visit his family later,” said the 3SC chairman.
Mr Lakondoro was a retired soldier, footballer, and the first organising secretary of the Action Group.
He was also the first private secretary of Alfred Rewane, a financier of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and an associate of the late Obafemi Awolowo.
Mr Lakondoro was born on January 7, 1912, to the family of the late Babalola Lankorodoro and Ifaranti Lankorodoro of Ile-Otun, Oje, in the Ibadan North-East council area.
Mr Lakondoro attended Oke-Are Theological Seminary, Ibadan and St Finnbar’s College, Lagos and taught briefly as a teacher. He later joined the colonial army in 1939 for World War II, which took him to Scotland, India, and Trimia.
Mr Lakondoro rejoined the Nigerian Army in 1967 to fight the civil war alongside Benjamin Adekunle, aka Scorpion.
He was a foundation member of Western Nigeria Development Company (WNDC) now 3SC in 1963 and later became the 3SC chairman in 2014.
He was until his death the oldest 3SC fan and arguably the oldest football fan in Nigeria.
Mr Lakondoro, until his death, was the only surviving members of Nigerian footballers, named UK Tourists, who travelled to Britain and played with barefoot.
He lured the late Teslim Balogun to football from Abeokuta and discovered, among others, the likes of Niyi Akande, Layi Olagbenro, while handling a local club in the suburb of Oniyanrin in Ibadan.
(NAN)
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