Ajibade Olusesan 
“She was cautious and very intelligent. I knew she was going to be a good asset to me. She nurtured my attitude, character, as she gave reasons for me to be calm and do things the right way among my friends. I will say it is a blessing.” Those were the remarks of Nigerian international, Ogenyi Onazi, when he paid tribute to his wife, Sandra. Onazi, who signed a three year contract with newly-promoted Serie A side Crotone, said fatherhood helped him to shrug off challenges that he faced in his career recently.
The midfielder joined his third club in less than two years last week after troubles that plagued his stints at Turkish sides Trabzonspor and Denizlispor which necessitated his early exits from those clubs. Frightening injury ended his stay at Trabzonspor but he terminated his contract at Denizlispor over unpaid wages. It was a troubling moment for him and he said he was able to pull through because of God’s favour and immense support from his immediate family. He said: “I don’t pray for my enemies to experience the kind of injury I sustained, it was not pleasant.
If one were not strong, it may have been the end of my career. “Honestly, I don’t regret getting married at the time I did; family is everything, it makes you strong, it makes you more responsible, you draw inspiration from them when things are hard. I am lucky, so lucky to have these two daughters and my lovely wife.” Nostalgically, Onazi recalled that he met his wife while he was still a struggling youth; when he wasn’t quite sure of what life held for him.
However, Sandra saw afar, she knew she was dealing with a future star whose glory the world would behold soon. “Before I met her, I hadn’t travelled out of the country as I was still hustling then. When things started happening I told myself that if I don’t marry this girl, then there is a problem,” Onazi added.
Onazi walked down the aisle with his darling wife in 2017 but the footballer was under intense pressure to jettison the idea at the time he consummated the union. According to him, quite a number of friends and relatives felt he was still young and should have enjoyed his bachelorhood instead of jumping into marriage which could deprived him of so many freebies associated with being single. The midfielder knew quite well what he wanted in life, believing that early marriage could only make him to be focused, which is why he is thanking God he took the decision. He added: “Indeed, there was pressure everywhere, with people saying I was still young to get married and that I should enjoy life.
But I felt this was the right thing as it made me to be focused.” It is hard for football players to stay with one woman for years before marriage as many stars prefer to pick up partners only when they have become famous. Onazi said his wife was the spine of their relationship at the time not only because of her incredible attitude but her style of keeping low profile.
He said: “She hid who I was to everybody, because she doesn’t care about the media or what her friends say,” he said. “She often says ‘what will be, will be’. She just keeps it on the low key. Majority of her friends never knew me, only those that are very close to us.
“Maybe sometimes they will see us together. All those things people in a relationship do on social media, she hid all those things and people never knew what happened and they didn’t know we had stayed together for like six years before we got married.”
The footballer is trying to be a strong daddy with a determination to instill discipline into his kids. He has two lovely daughters namely Makayla and Zara already and he said he would restrict them from doing some of the wrong things he engaged in growing up.
Onazi explained further: “Of course, there are some wrong things one did when growing up that I wouldn’t want my children to do. Things like being very stubborn, doing some things you never wanted your parents to be mad at you. “Some things that our parents advised us to do, and you go on to do things that we feel is right, but then it is wrong.
So many of them we need to correct for our own children because, I as a person I try to make sure I restrict them from doing a lot of wrongs, because doing such makes them grow better.” Onazi hasn’t featured for the national team for more than one year largely due to injury but the midfielder strongly believes he could stage a comeback as he hopes to hit the ground running in his new club. “With God and hard work, all things are possible. I will have to keep working hard, I know very soon I will return to help my country like I used to do,” he said.
