The Amodu Shaibu I Know - Former BCC Lions Player
By A Former BCC Lions of Gboko Player.
I was tired, very tired, this was as a result of the flurry of activities that had taken place in the last 24 hrs. Here was I, it was Christmas season and I was several hundred kilometres away from home, far away in Gboko. I left home in Ilorin on the night of the 26th after coach Kafaru Alabi had turned up at my family residence to inform me that he wanted to take me down to Gboko to sign for BCC. The journey saw us both depart Ilorin in the midnight of the 26th en-route to Kaduna with the aim of signing Ayo Ogunlana, then onto Jos to sign Tunde Adedara, it was the early morning of the 28th that we got to Gboko. By then I was already homesick. I was told by Kafaru that I might be able to return to Ilorin that day as soon as I get the papers sorted were out at the club house.
By 11am, I had signed all the necessary forms and papers, I just wanted to get to the park and hop on a bus back to Ilorin to continue my Christmas celebrations.
Just one more thing Kafaru said, he would like to introduce me to the Head coach of the team, as he would be heading off to Brasil for three months, it would be nice for him to see me. I had no choice and so off to his house we went, he was living in the GRA Gboko at the time. By the time we got to his house he was not in, so we had to wait, so I slumped my 6ft 3inches frame onto his sofa, I was spent, and I was feeling frustrated as it was beginning to dawn on me that I won't be able to return to Ilorin that day. Then around 12 noon, he walked in , he was dressed in jeans and simple short sleeve shirt. One thing that caught my attention was that he was very young, I mean very young. He took one look at me and said:
"This one that is sitting lazily so, Kafaru are you sure this one is strong enough to be a defender".
Kafaru then proceeded to explain to him that I was tired and that I was in a haste to return to Ilorin. The next thing the head coach said was ‘ You better tell him he is not going anywhere today. If he is going to play for us , then he must be prepared to spend at least a night in the town’. I felt crushed, but I was sensible enough to understand where he was coming from and what he meant. So he told Kafaru to take me to my hotel, he talked a bit. He asked me if I played against BCC when they played against Shooting in Ibadan, I told him yes, he said he could only remember there was a defender who gave them a bit of hassle. I did not say anything there was no need to say anything, I always love to do my talking on the field. He wished me well and told me that I won't be seeing him until he returns from Brasil and that I should do everything possible to settle down and enjoy my stay in Gboko. That was my first meeting with the man called Amodu Shuaibu.
He had just won the 1989 FA cup with the BCC Lions of Gboko, a feat that was deemed unique up in the North since it was the first time after 32 years that a team from that part of the country did. This feat was unique on many levels, while politically it had its significance, perhaps what was also unique about it, was the way and manner it was done. Shuaibu was serving as James Peters assistant, he was a nobody at the time really. He had played for a club called Dumez and then Niger Tornadoes, he was in the team that lost to Stationary Stores in the 1980/81- not sure exactly which of these years. It was a rout , it was expected anyway. He was a defender but his career was cut short by a knee injury. Yes, the same knee he went to South Africa to have surgery on.
He had served as an assistant under Alabi Assien when he coached Nasco Jets, and when Alabi was sacked it was said that he had a contract in place which stipulated that the assistant must also be sacked. Let me digress here, it was not unusual this sort of contract, it was one of the ways the head coach ensures that his ambitious assistants do not get too smart and diabolical. It was said that he was jobless in Jos when James Peters went for him, more as doing him a favour. It was said that James Peters undermined him in many ways, even publicly. It was so bad that a number of the players had no respect for him, he was quiet and kept his place. Over time, James Peters got himself into a number of controversial situations with the players, and results were not forthcoming. There were tales of underhand dealings which soon got to the ears of the management. Peters was sacked towards the tail end of the season when it was obvious that the team was out of contention as far as the league was concerned. Although the team was still in the FA cup, the management was not really bothered, the performances had been bad and as such they were not expecting to win it. So they handed the baton to Shuaibu as a caretaker, to see the team to the end of the season when the management would be able to sign another coach. This caretaker went on to win the FA cup and that was the beginning of his journey to the top.
By the time he returned back from Brasil, I had settled into the team, it was 1990, the year Nigerian football league officially went professional. The league that year was delayed, normally the league in Nigeria starts in February and finishes around mid-November. However, because a number of the clubs were struggling to meet up with the requirements to qualify them as professional sides, the kick-off was delayed to allow the teams to accommodate the clubs. As a result of winning the FA cup, BCC had qualified to represent the nation in the 1990 edition of the African Winners Cup competition. It was the year Mandela was released from prison and in his honour, the cup was renamed Mandela cup.
The first match he took charge was a tournament we were invited to in Gambia, it was part of their independence anniversary, the Nigerian national team was invited to take part in the tournament that was to feature two other teams Gambia and Equatorial Guinea. NFA decided that BCC should use the opportunity to have a feel of playing in the preseason tournament. Amodu met up with us in Lagos on the way to Gambia, he did not say much to us before the first match, it was his assistant then Kafaru Alabi who had been in charge while he was away who presided over the first match. I featured in the match and I did my bit, trying extra hard to impress the gaffer. I succeeded in doing that, I am pointing this out because of what happened the next morning when we came out for training, I was already out doing extra - the routine I developed from my time with Shooting Stars FC.
I would normally put in an extra 30 – 45 mins of running before the normal training starts. By the time he came out he saw me running round the track, so he called me aside, he commended me for the game and proceeded to point out one or two flaws that I needed to work on. He then grabbed a ball and he would throw the ball saying he wanted to see how good I was with heading the ball.
Now my greatest asset was heading the ball, I thought I was good in the air, but my short stint with Alabi Assien in NNB made me even deadlier, as Alabi would teach us how to truly head the ball. Listen if you head the ball and you don’t hear a thud..forget it, that was a poor header. I played alongside Sunny Eboigbe and there was an instance when I saw a true header of the ball in action. The ball was in the air, I wanted to go for it, then I heard a voice ‘leave am’..it was a good thing I did, I heard a whooshing sound followed by sickening thud as his head connected with the ball...Jesus the ball went flying. I looked at him and decided that is the way I must head the ball from now on. So I was ready, when he threw the ball I attacked it viciously and the ball came back so hard at him he could not hold it. He looked at me in a funny way, then he threw the ball again and I repeated it . Then he called one of the defenders in the team Felix Pilakya, he threw the ball….. let us just move on. Felix was taller than I am, but he was hopeless in the air. Amodu said …"finally, I have found someone that is good in the air in my defence", it was a comment which meant a lot to me as a player, it meant one thing, I have caught the attention of the gaffer.
By 11am, I had signed all the necessary forms and papers, I just wanted to get to the park and hop on a bus back to Ilorin to continue my Christmas celebrations.
Just one more thing Kafaru said, he would like to introduce me to the Head coach of the team, as he would be heading off to Brasil for three months, it would be nice for him to see me. I had no choice and so off to his house we went, he was living in the GRA Gboko at the time. By the time we got to his house he was not in, so we had to wait, so I slumped my 6ft 3inches frame onto his sofa, I was spent, and I was feeling frustrated as it was beginning to dawn on me that I won't be able to return to Ilorin that day. Then around 12 noon, he walked in , he was dressed in jeans and simple short sleeve shirt. One thing that caught my attention was that he was very young, I mean very young. He took one look at me and said:
"This one that is sitting lazily so, Kafaru are you sure this one is strong enough to be a defender".
Kafaru then proceeded to explain to him that I was tired and that I was in a haste to return to Ilorin. The next thing the head coach said was ‘ You better tell him he is not going anywhere today. If he is going to play for us , then he must be prepared to spend at least a night in the town’. I felt crushed, but I was sensible enough to understand where he was coming from and what he meant. So he told Kafaru to take me to my hotel, he talked a bit. He asked me if I played against BCC when they played against Shooting in Ibadan, I told him yes, he said he could only remember there was a defender who gave them a bit of hassle. I did not say anything there was no need to say anything, I always love to do my talking on the field. He wished me well and told me that I won't be seeing him until he returns from Brasil and that I should do everything possible to settle down and enjoy my stay in Gboko. That was my first meeting with the man called Amodu Shuaibu.
He had just won the 1989 FA cup with the BCC Lions of Gboko, a feat that was deemed unique up in the North since it was the first time after 32 years that a team from that part of the country did. This feat was unique on many levels, while politically it had its significance, perhaps what was also unique about it, was the way and manner it was done. Shuaibu was serving as James Peters assistant, he was a nobody at the time really. He had played for a club called Dumez and then Niger Tornadoes, he was in the team that lost to Stationary Stores in the 1980/81- not sure exactly which of these years. It was a rout , it was expected anyway. He was a defender but his career was cut short by a knee injury. Yes, the same knee he went to South Africa to have surgery on.
He had served as an assistant under Alabi Assien when he coached Nasco Jets, and when Alabi was sacked it was said that he had a contract in place which stipulated that the assistant must also be sacked. Let me digress here, it was not unusual this sort of contract, it was one of the ways the head coach ensures that his ambitious assistants do not get too smart and diabolical. It was said that he was jobless in Jos when James Peters went for him, more as doing him a favour. It was said that James Peters undermined him in many ways, even publicly. It was so bad that a number of the players had no respect for him, he was quiet and kept his place. Over time, James Peters got himself into a number of controversial situations with the players, and results were not forthcoming. There were tales of underhand dealings which soon got to the ears of the management. Peters was sacked towards the tail end of the season when it was obvious that the team was out of contention as far as the league was concerned. Although the team was still in the FA cup, the management was not really bothered, the performances had been bad and as such they were not expecting to win it. So they handed the baton to Shuaibu as a caretaker, to see the team to the end of the season when the management would be able to sign another coach. This caretaker went on to win the FA cup and that was the beginning of his journey to the top.
By the time he returned back from Brasil, I had settled into the team, it was 1990, the year Nigerian football league officially went professional. The league that year was delayed, normally the league in Nigeria starts in February and finishes around mid-November. However, because a number of the clubs were struggling to meet up with the requirements to qualify them as professional sides, the kick-off was delayed to allow the teams to accommodate the clubs. As a result of winning the FA cup, BCC had qualified to represent the nation in the 1990 edition of the African Winners Cup competition. It was the year Mandela was released from prison and in his honour, the cup was renamed Mandela cup.
The first match he took charge was a tournament we were invited to in Gambia, it was part of their independence anniversary, the Nigerian national team was invited to take part in the tournament that was to feature two other teams Gambia and Equatorial Guinea. NFA decided that BCC should use the opportunity to have a feel of playing in the preseason tournament. Amodu met up with us in Lagos on the way to Gambia, he did not say much to us before the first match, it was his assistant then Kafaru Alabi who had been in charge while he was away who presided over the first match. I featured in the match and I did my bit, trying extra hard to impress the gaffer. I succeeded in doing that, I am pointing this out because of what happened the next morning when we came out for training, I was already out doing extra - the routine I developed from my time with Shooting Stars FC.
I would normally put in an extra 30 – 45 mins of running before the normal training starts. By the time he came out he saw me running round the track, so he called me aside, he commended me for the game and proceeded to point out one or two flaws that I needed to work on. He then grabbed a ball and he would throw the ball saying he wanted to see how good I was with heading the ball.
Now my greatest asset was heading the ball, I thought I was good in the air, but my short stint with Alabi Assien in NNB made me even deadlier, as Alabi would teach us how to truly head the ball. Listen if you head the ball and you don’t hear a thud..forget it, that was a poor header. I played alongside Sunny Eboigbe and there was an instance when I saw a true header of the ball in action. The ball was in the air, I wanted to go for it, then I heard a voice ‘leave am’..it was a good thing I did, I heard a whooshing sound followed by sickening thud as his head connected with the ball...Jesus the ball went flying. I looked at him and decided that is the way I must head the ball from now on. So I was ready, when he threw the ball I attacked it viciously and the ball came back so hard at him he could not hold it. He looked at me in a funny way, then he threw the ball again and I repeated it . Then he called one of the defenders in the team Felix Pilakya, he threw the ball….. let us just move on. Felix was taller than I am, but he was hopeless in the air. Amodu said …"finally, I have found someone that is good in the air in my defence", it was a comment which meant a lot to me as a player, it meant one thing, I have caught the attention of the gaffer.
While my relationship with him the first time around was simply that of a coach and player, this time around it was more, I had now become the captain of the team. Things did not start smoothly when he resumed back with us for the 1993 season. The team struggled and I could not help but overhear him complain and wonder what had happened to the team he left behind. A number of the players he relied upon had lost form, the likes of Amir, Alum Aule and Aham Nwankwo had lost form. We had lost Moses to injury while some of the players had left because of the poor season we had under Baraje. Those who left felt the team had lost its way and glory as a result left at the end of '92 season. Toyin Ayinla, Samuel Elijah had left for Concorde FC Abeokuta, Ben"Surugede" Ugwu returned to Enugu Rangers with Affiomah Sylvester in tow and Fuludu Edema had left for Julius Berger when Amodu left for El-Kanemi. Simply put, the team was adrift when Amodu came back.
I saw a man who was shaken as a result of what was happening and even appear to have doubts about himself and possibly the decision to return. I saw him loose his cool and would give out to the players perhaps out of frustration. I also saw something else, he probably felt he was going to fail or maybe we were going to let him down. When I could no longer take it, I decided to act, I remember it was one Saturday morning we had a home game, he had given out to the team telling the team we had all become complacent. I knew it was time to speak out, so I went to his house early in the morning, he was not at home. But when he was told that I came calling, he drove down to see me. I asked him a question:
"Coach why are you acting this way, do you no longer believe in yourself. Listen we still believe in you, remember we are the ones who fought and wanted you back. I told coach to please take this as an advice from his captain, you can be sure of one thing we are still 100 percent behind you".
Knowing Amodu, he simply took it on the chin, now whether it meant anything to him or not I would not know, but he was more relaxed thereafter. From then on we would speak more about the team, he would ask me what was going on with the team. He managed to turn that season around and we ended the season lifting the FA cup after defeating Plateau United FC.
Now let me say something about Amodu as a person, he was an Edo man from Auchi, and the in your face type, direct and blunt. He was very intelligent, eloquent with the ability to convey his messages across. He speaks 5 Nigerian languages, Yoruba, his native dialect Ishan, Hausa, some Igbo and Nupe. Apart from the Igbo language, he was fluent in all of the others including the English language. He does not play around with words, he would drop it as it is. If he is wrong he would apologise, he would challenge you openly and he would expect you to voice it out if you have an opinion and he would not harbour a grudge with you. He treated players as matured individuals, you are free to express your mind with him. I have seen him argue and disagree with players but he would still play the same player on merit. If you don’t know him well, you would take offence by his bluntness, BCC camp was one of the most liberal and lively camp you could come into. After the games, we are allowed to let down our hair and party down, but he would remind us that listen no excuses when training resumes on Monday. We worked hard and when it was time for fun, we really knew how to let down our hair. As a coach, he had the habit of just showing up at your house, not to monitor you but as a way of developing a rapport. He does not go overboard in trying to pally with us, he was disciplined enough to keep his distance. At the same he would pick the right time to play or throw banter with the players, he maintained a respectable balance.
When welcoming new players into the club, one of the warnings he would issue is that, the last thing he wants to hear is players fighting over any girl. He would say I would sack you if you fight over any girl, he would proceed to educate the new players on how the girls in the town roll with the players. He was not married at the time, so he would say you might even end up with the girl I am going out with. He would remind the players by saying "you came here to play football, that is what you should concentrate on". He would deliver the message raw, I cannot use the words today…but back then many new players tend to fall victim of the antics of certain group of girls in the town whose hobby was scoring with the new players, we call these girls "The Gboko 11". That is a story for another day.
Talking about being direct, I remember a couple of incidents when I clashed with him. The first was the 93 season, our feeding allowance while on the road was due for review, as the captain the boys had raised this with me, so I walked over to Amodu and presented my case. He gave it to me because we were struggling to get things right at the time..’Instead of telling your boys to play better you are asking me to increase your allowance..stupid captain’. Now this was right in front of the players….I cannot allow that to go unchallenged. I turned to him and said ‘You are free to refuse my request if you have to , but I resent being called stupid’. My reaction caught him off guard because he always saw me as a quiet person, he tried to turn into banter, I ignored it. I knew he was joking, but I needed to make a point in front of the players the last thing I needed was to lose their respect. He apologised right there, but he insisted that I tell the players they must improve. The next morning on our way to Lagos the allowance had been increased, everyone was happy. We played a monster of a game against Stores at Onikan stadium.
Another incident I recollect vividly was his clash with Abdul Sule who was recruited from Stores in the '94 season. Sule was a pacy and power house of a striker, but with limited skills. Sule was strong, strong like an ox. Think of Andy Carol of Westham, but with pace. It was our last training before travelling to play Rangers at Enugu, Sule was struggling, misplacing his passes and making wrong calls. Amodu pointed this out to him while stressing that he should do the simple things instead. Sule took offence, it was a serious argument, so Amodu yanked him off the first team and threw him into the second. We were surprised at the end of the training when Sule was listed among those that would travel. Even more surprising was seeing him on the starting line up..Sule responded by scoring two goals that gave us the 3 points in Enugu. The thing is this, Amodu appreciated players with strong opinion especially the ones who are able to respond to him while not feeling intimidated.
I remember seeing him harass a newly recruited player who was always dressing shabbily, he told him "hey my friend in this club we look sharp, I don’t like players who look shabby, this is a big club and you must look the part". Of course he meant well, he was from a humble beginning himself, he simply believed that players need to have self-dignity and not accept that situation where they were made to feel like drop outs and ruffians. In addition, he changed the way coaches appear on the sideline, he set the trend for coaches dress codes, always appearing on the sideline in trendy suits. He would sit on the bench looking like a young executive, there was a guy Barry we call him, he was his clothier, that guy must have made tonnes of money from Amodu.
As earlier stated, Amodu had a way with us players, one minute you are tempted to say he is aloof, I think this had to do with his young age, some of the players were probably even his age mates if not older, so he had to find some kind of balance to keep contempt away. When he was appointed the Super Eagles Manager in 1994, he was the youngest manager ever, he was 38 at the time. But I remember him introducing himself to the team as 40 years old in his first address to the team. However, he later explained to me that the last thing he wanted was players feeling he was too young to be the coach.
I saw a man who was shaken as a result of what was happening and even appear to have doubts about himself and possibly the decision to return. I saw him loose his cool and would give out to the players perhaps out of frustration. I also saw something else, he probably felt he was going to fail or maybe we were going to let him down. When I could no longer take it, I decided to act, I remember it was one Saturday morning we had a home game, he had given out to the team telling the team we had all become complacent. I knew it was time to speak out, so I went to his house early in the morning, he was not at home. But when he was told that I came calling, he drove down to see me. I asked him a question:
"Coach why are you acting this way, do you no longer believe in yourself. Listen we still believe in you, remember we are the ones who fought and wanted you back. I told coach to please take this as an advice from his captain, you can be sure of one thing we are still 100 percent behind you".
Knowing Amodu, he simply took it on the chin, now whether it meant anything to him or not I would not know, but he was more relaxed thereafter. From then on we would speak more about the team, he would ask me what was going on with the team. He managed to turn that season around and we ended the season lifting the FA cup after defeating Plateau United FC.
Now let me say something about Amodu as a person, he was an Edo man from Auchi, and the in your face type, direct and blunt. He was very intelligent, eloquent with the ability to convey his messages across. He speaks 5 Nigerian languages, Yoruba, his native dialect Ishan, Hausa, some Igbo and Nupe. Apart from the Igbo language, he was fluent in all of the others including the English language. He does not play around with words, he would drop it as it is. If he is wrong he would apologise, he would challenge you openly and he would expect you to voice it out if you have an opinion and he would not harbour a grudge with you. He treated players as matured individuals, you are free to express your mind with him. I have seen him argue and disagree with players but he would still play the same player on merit. If you don’t know him well, you would take offence by his bluntness, BCC camp was one of the most liberal and lively camp you could come into. After the games, we are allowed to let down our hair and party down, but he would remind us that listen no excuses when training resumes on Monday. We worked hard and when it was time for fun, we really knew how to let down our hair. As a coach, he had the habit of just showing up at your house, not to monitor you but as a way of developing a rapport. He does not go overboard in trying to pally with us, he was disciplined enough to keep his distance. At the same he would pick the right time to play or throw banter with the players, he maintained a respectable balance.
When welcoming new players into the club, one of the warnings he would issue is that, the last thing he wants to hear is players fighting over any girl. He would say I would sack you if you fight over any girl, he would proceed to educate the new players on how the girls in the town roll with the players. He was not married at the time, so he would say you might even end up with the girl I am going out with. He would remind the players by saying "you came here to play football, that is what you should concentrate on". He would deliver the message raw, I cannot use the words today…but back then many new players tend to fall victim of the antics of certain group of girls in the town whose hobby was scoring with the new players, we call these girls "The Gboko 11". That is a story for another day.
Talking about being direct, I remember a couple of incidents when I clashed with him. The first was the 93 season, our feeding allowance while on the road was due for review, as the captain the boys had raised this with me, so I walked over to Amodu and presented my case. He gave it to me because we were struggling to get things right at the time..’Instead of telling your boys to play better you are asking me to increase your allowance..stupid captain’. Now this was right in front of the players….I cannot allow that to go unchallenged. I turned to him and said ‘You are free to refuse my request if you have to , but I resent being called stupid’. My reaction caught him off guard because he always saw me as a quiet person, he tried to turn into banter, I ignored it. I knew he was joking, but I needed to make a point in front of the players the last thing I needed was to lose their respect. He apologised right there, but he insisted that I tell the players they must improve. The next morning on our way to Lagos the allowance had been increased, everyone was happy. We played a monster of a game against Stores at Onikan stadium.
Another incident I recollect vividly was his clash with Abdul Sule who was recruited from Stores in the '94 season. Sule was a pacy and power house of a striker, but with limited skills. Sule was strong, strong like an ox. Think of Andy Carol of Westham, but with pace. It was our last training before travelling to play Rangers at Enugu, Sule was struggling, misplacing his passes and making wrong calls. Amodu pointed this out to him while stressing that he should do the simple things instead. Sule took offence, it was a serious argument, so Amodu yanked him off the first team and threw him into the second. We were surprised at the end of the training when Sule was listed among those that would travel. Even more surprising was seeing him on the starting line up..Sule responded by scoring two goals that gave us the 3 points in Enugu. The thing is this, Amodu appreciated players with strong opinion especially the ones who are able to respond to him while not feeling intimidated.
I remember seeing him harass a newly recruited player who was always dressing shabbily, he told him "hey my friend in this club we look sharp, I don’t like players who look shabby, this is a big club and you must look the part". Of course he meant well, he was from a humble beginning himself, he simply believed that players need to have self-dignity and not accept that situation where they were made to feel like drop outs and ruffians. In addition, he changed the way coaches appear on the sideline, he set the trend for coaches dress codes, always appearing on the sideline in trendy suits. He would sit on the bench looking like a young executive, there was a guy Barry we call him, he was his clothier, that guy must have made tonnes of money from Amodu.
As earlier stated, Amodu had a way with us players, one minute you are tempted to say he is aloof, I think this had to do with his young age, some of the players were probably even his age mates if not older, so he had to find some kind of balance to keep contempt away. When he was appointed the Super Eagles Manager in 1994, he was the youngest manager ever, he was 38 at the time. But I remember him introducing himself to the team as 40 years old in his first address to the team. However, he later explained to me that the last thing he wanted was players feeling he was too young to be the coach.
There was something else that I found interesting about him, it was his generosity, he had something akin to I don’t care attitude to money. Truth be told money meant nothing to him. I have lost count of the many occasions he would empty his wallet to people. I remember Kadiri Ikhana complained to me one day saying that someone needs to have a talk with him about the need to look after his money else he would end up broke. He said he had seen him collect his match bonus and he would proceed to hand it out to fans or anyone who shows up in need of money. Amodu had a guy who was like his PA at the time, we call him Ashim, the guy handled all of his finances. He holds onto his cheque book.
There were two incidents that left a big impression upon me with regards to Amodu. A guy showed up in Gboko when the recruitment season was almost over, they brought him to me, he was from Lagos NEPA, normally when a player showed up un-invited it was not the responsibility of the club. I took the guy to Amodu, he explained to the guy that it was too late for him to help out, suddenly he stopped when he saw how desperate the guy was, he told the guy to see him in the office the next day and promised to give him a note to another club. He told me to take the guy to the club’s guest house; he took out money from his wallet and gave to the guy. I have seen coaches simply dismiss players in such a situation; I have found myself in such a situation before.
The second was when the national team came back from the Inter-Continental tournament in Saudi Arabia, he handed his bonuses to his childhood friend, the sum was about 30k usd, he trusted the guy to go and change the money. Well the guy came back with the story he had lost the money, he said that he ran into ***** people or something like that. People pressured Amodu to take action, one of his friend who was a military guy even volunteered to deal with the guy. Amodu flatly refused, he told people it was only money, he said it was God who gave and if it pleases God that the money should be taken off him that would be it. Fast forward a decade or so later, the guy who I happen to know very well, had become big in Nigerian football circle, he is the owner of a thriving company and the one promoting the Super Eagles some years back. The guy would later become one of his major backers, when he got the job the last time, it was the same guy who fought tooth and nail for him. When I called him to congratulate him, he told me how God used the guy to help him land the job.
Amodu was religious and he does not joke with his religion. He was a Muslim, a devout one I would say. He would observe all the Muslim rites and I can remember him going on hajji to Mecca when the Super Eagles went to Saudi Arabia. But more interesting was his openness, he had a small bible, the Gideon’s bible that he carried around and I have spotted him on a number of occasions before a match reading the book of Psalms. He practised his faith true to form. When I joined BCC, one of the stories that used to make rounds with the team was the way he was shabbily treated by James Peters who was his head coach at the time. It was reported that there was a particular match, the team was playing badly, so at half time Peters was very angry and refused to talk to the team. When Amodu tried to talk to some of the boys, not any capacity to undermine Peters, but nonetheless it interpreted as such. It was said that Peters shouted him down and humiliated him in the dressing room. It was therefore interesting when in 1990 we were going to play in Maputo and Iwuayawun the nation’s representative in the Champion’s league had a match to honour in Zambia. The NFA in order to cut cost, chartered the Nigerian Airforce transport/cargo plane the Hercules to ferry the two teams. We (BCC players) were curious how Amodu was going to react to James Peters. Would he ignore him, especially now that he can afford to do that, having accomplished what Peters failed to do with BCC? We were surprised to see him walk over to Peters, he hailed him as boss, Peters was shocked. They both sat down together for the duration of the 8 hrs flight to Zambia..we were stunned. They shared a bottle of wine, talked and joked all through the journey, for me it was a lesson in forgiveness and humility.
When in 1994 he was appointed the manager of Super Eagles after the departure of Westerhoff, it was with mixed feeling that we received the news, we were happy for him alright, but at the same time, we did not want to lose him. Those of us who had seen the effect his leaving had on the team when he left for El – kanemi were apprehensive. Personally, I was not happy that he was leaving, I had become very close and used to him and playing under him had been very rewarding. We were doing well and the team was stable with him around, his leaving was only going to unsettle things and rightly so. I remember the management of the team telling us that he was going to be handling both teams, especially since BCC would be playing in the champions cup the next season. Truth be told, I simply cannot see another coach who can make me enjoy playing football like he did. True to form, we suffered the next season, and that was the situation until I left the team and the game. The team was relegated after the 1996 season, but luckily it was waived, for whatever reason NFA decided to increase the number of clubs in the Premier division, so no team was relegated.
At the time when he was appointed the Super Eagles coach, he was arguably the most successful coach in the land, even amongst the coaches, he was held in high regards. He had an intimidating record at the time. 3 FA cup wins with two different teams, just won the league the year he was appointed, doing a double. He had won the Mandela cup, losing it the second year only in the final, his profile was at an all time high. In 1994 when the noise to go with an indigenous coach was at fever pitch high, he was the obvious choice, and none came close.
His first tenure as the Super Eagles coach was a tumultuous one, although he was eking out results, many were not really happy. His first match was against England at Wembley, a friendly, the team lost 1-0. The next was the Inter-Continental Championship at Riyadh, for a team that was hurriedly put together and with most of the players shuttling between club and national engagements, we did not really do badly coming third or so I think. It was the qualifier for the 1998 WC that really brought him at logger heads with then Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo who was very critical of him while calling for the hire of a foreign coach. While Amodu kept his cool, his wife however did not waste time in coming to his defence, while also suggesting that perhaps the nation should outsource the position of the sports minister to a foreigner as well. He did not complete the 1998 qualifier as he was replaced by the French man Phillip Trousier, the famed White witch doctor.
He returned to the team in 2000 as Bonfere Jo’s assistant for the ANC 80 jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. He was with the team during the 2002 WC qualifiers and after a disastrous campaign that left the nation's hopes at making it to the WC finals in tatters, Bonfere Jo got sacked and Amodu was asked to manage the rest of the campaign. The chances of qualification was bleak at the time, the nation needed to win all of its remaining matches including an away match in Sudan. Many had given up hope, even those who employed him, and even his own players. Amodu waved his magic wand and got the nation the much sought ticket, it was a miracle. He was hailed a messiah, but all of this was soon forgotten as he had to lead the team to the ANC 2002 in Mali, once again the expectation was unreasonably high in the midst of shoddy preparations. The team got to the semi-finals losing to the Senegal who went on to play in the quarter finals of the WC. Amodu was relieved of his job even though the team returned home with a bronze. He was denied the opportunity of taking the team to the WC.
There were two incidents that left a big impression upon me with regards to Amodu. A guy showed up in Gboko when the recruitment season was almost over, they brought him to me, he was from Lagos NEPA, normally when a player showed up un-invited it was not the responsibility of the club. I took the guy to Amodu, he explained to the guy that it was too late for him to help out, suddenly he stopped when he saw how desperate the guy was, he told the guy to see him in the office the next day and promised to give him a note to another club. He told me to take the guy to the club’s guest house; he took out money from his wallet and gave to the guy. I have seen coaches simply dismiss players in such a situation; I have found myself in such a situation before.
The second was when the national team came back from the Inter-Continental tournament in Saudi Arabia, he handed his bonuses to his childhood friend, the sum was about 30k usd, he trusted the guy to go and change the money. Well the guy came back with the story he had lost the money, he said that he ran into ***** people or something like that. People pressured Amodu to take action, one of his friend who was a military guy even volunteered to deal with the guy. Amodu flatly refused, he told people it was only money, he said it was God who gave and if it pleases God that the money should be taken off him that would be it. Fast forward a decade or so later, the guy who I happen to know very well, had become big in Nigerian football circle, he is the owner of a thriving company and the one promoting the Super Eagles some years back. The guy would later become one of his major backers, when he got the job the last time, it was the same guy who fought tooth and nail for him. When I called him to congratulate him, he told me how God used the guy to help him land the job.
Amodu was religious and he does not joke with his religion. He was a Muslim, a devout one I would say. He would observe all the Muslim rites and I can remember him going on hajji to Mecca when the Super Eagles went to Saudi Arabia. But more interesting was his openness, he had a small bible, the Gideon’s bible that he carried around and I have spotted him on a number of occasions before a match reading the book of Psalms. He practised his faith true to form. When I joined BCC, one of the stories that used to make rounds with the team was the way he was shabbily treated by James Peters who was his head coach at the time. It was reported that there was a particular match, the team was playing badly, so at half time Peters was very angry and refused to talk to the team. When Amodu tried to talk to some of the boys, not any capacity to undermine Peters, but nonetheless it interpreted as such. It was said that Peters shouted him down and humiliated him in the dressing room. It was therefore interesting when in 1990 we were going to play in Maputo and Iwuayawun the nation’s representative in the Champion’s league had a match to honour in Zambia. The NFA in order to cut cost, chartered the Nigerian Airforce transport/cargo plane the Hercules to ferry the two teams. We (BCC players) were curious how Amodu was going to react to James Peters. Would he ignore him, especially now that he can afford to do that, having accomplished what Peters failed to do with BCC? We were surprised to see him walk over to Peters, he hailed him as boss, Peters was shocked. They both sat down together for the duration of the 8 hrs flight to Zambia..we were stunned. They shared a bottle of wine, talked and joked all through the journey, for me it was a lesson in forgiveness and humility.
When in 1994 he was appointed the manager of Super Eagles after the departure of Westerhoff, it was with mixed feeling that we received the news, we were happy for him alright, but at the same time, we did not want to lose him. Those of us who had seen the effect his leaving had on the team when he left for El – kanemi were apprehensive. Personally, I was not happy that he was leaving, I had become very close and used to him and playing under him had been very rewarding. We were doing well and the team was stable with him around, his leaving was only going to unsettle things and rightly so. I remember the management of the team telling us that he was going to be handling both teams, especially since BCC would be playing in the champions cup the next season. Truth be told, I simply cannot see another coach who can make me enjoy playing football like he did. True to form, we suffered the next season, and that was the situation until I left the team and the game. The team was relegated after the 1996 season, but luckily it was waived, for whatever reason NFA decided to increase the number of clubs in the Premier division, so no team was relegated.
At the time when he was appointed the Super Eagles coach, he was arguably the most successful coach in the land, even amongst the coaches, he was held in high regards. He had an intimidating record at the time. 3 FA cup wins with two different teams, just won the league the year he was appointed, doing a double. He had won the Mandela cup, losing it the second year only in the final, his profile was at an all time high. In 1994 when the noise to go with an indigenous coach was at fever pitch high, he was the obvious choice, and none came close.
His first tenure as the Super Eagles coach was a tumultuous one, although he was eking out results, many were not really happy. His first match was against England at Wembley, a friendly, the team lost 1-0. The next was the Inter-Continental Championship at Riyadh, for a team that was hurriedly put together and with most of the players shuttling between club and national engagements, we did not really do badly coming third or so I think. It was the qualifier for the 1998 WC that really brought him at logger heads with then Sports Minister Jim Nwobodo who was very critical of him while calling for the hire of a foreign coach. While Amodu kept his cool, his wife however did not waste time in coming to his defence, while also suggesting that perhaps the nation should outsource the position of the sports minister to a foreigner as well. He did not complete the 1998 qualifier as he was replaced by the French man Phillip Trousier, the famed White witch doctor.
He returned to the team in 2000 as Bonfere Jo’s assistant for the ANC 80 jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. He was with the team during the 2002 WC qualifiers and after a disastrous campaign that left the nation's hopes at making it to the WC finals in tatters, Bonfere Jo got sacked and Amodu was asked to manage the rest of the campaign. The chances of qualification was bleak at the time, the nation needed to win all of its remaining matches including an away match in Sudan. Many had given up hope, even those who employed him, and even his own players. Amodu waved his magic wand and got the nation the much sought ticket, it was a miracle. He was hailed a messiah, but all of this was soon forgotten as he had to lead the team to the ANC 2002 in Mali, once again the expectation was unreasonably high in the midst of shoddy preparations. The team got to the semi-finals losing to the Senegal who went on to play in the quarter finals of the WC. Amodu was relieved of his job even though the team returned home with a bronze. He was denied the opportunity of taking the team to the WC.
He returned to the local scene, took over the helm of affairs at Sharks FC Port Harcourt, at the time he did, the team was already heading towards relegation. He promised he would get them back the next season, but meanwhile there was the unfinished business of the FA cup, he took the team to the FA cup final that year. True to his words, he brought Sharks back to the Premiership division the next season.
In 2008, he was recalled again to the Super Eagles, once again he qualified the team for the 2010 WC as well as the ANC with hundred percent record. It was as if history was repeating itself again, he came third at the ANC 2010, once again he was relieved of his post, once again denied the joy of seeing his dream of leading the team to the WC realised, a dream he had toiled for and laboured hard for. One cannot tell how hard it must have been for him or what toil the disappointment must have had on his state of mind and body, but he showed resilience through it all. He suffered in silence, twice he labored in hostile situation, in hopeless conditions and with promises not kept, yet meeting every target set before him, only to be denied by the powers that be. If he was not affected by these wicked decisions then he could not have been a mortal like the rest of us.
While he was not appreciated at home, his accomplishments were recognised both at FIFA and CAF where he had been serving as one of the technical instructors and trainers. As at the time of his passing away, he was the Technical Director of the NFF.
On a personal level Amodu remains a hero to me for many reasons. To start with, it was under him that every dream I had about the game of football was realised. The laurels and the call to the national team. There are coaches and there are coaches, Amodu is the only coach I would play for with all my life. The respect he had for me was mutual, he had seen me virtually lay it all down for him and the team. I remember in 1994, we had gathered momentum towards winning the league, we played a match against ACB in Gboko, I sustained a gash just above by eyebrows, it required about 4/5 stiches. We were to travel to Benin the for a mid-week encounter the next week, by Monday evening I was out in training with the team. When Amodu came in he called me aside, and told me to take a rest. I wanted to protest, he shut me down, I would not have you kill yourself he told me. Go home and rest you are not travelling with the team he told me.
There was another instance, we were to travel to Bourkina Fasso for continental engagement, our last match in the league was against ACB again, this time in Lagos, I was elbowed in the face and once again I sustained a cut on my face. It was Amodu’s voice I heard in the background instructing the medical team to take me out, even though I wanted to complete the match. When my father died in 1994, the FA cup zonal competition was about to start, when I told him about this, he dropped me from the team and told me to go and bury my dad. Since the team had to proceed onto the competition, he approved money for me to give my father a befitting burial. I told him I did not want the team to know, I did not want any distraction it was when the team got to Bauchi that they found out why I was missing. And during my wedding, he was there for me as coach and a big brother. He instructed the club to give me everything and anything I needed.
Listen as far as I was concerned, he was a general, a good general, the kind of general soldiers would be proud to follow into battle. I would follow Coach Amodu into any battle, because I have the ultimate confidence in his ability. I played under him for four seasons, and all the seasons I had medals and laurels to show for my efforts. Many do not understand why I am so devoted to him, Amodu was a blessing, I come from the old school where loyalty and gratitude counts. He helped me to fulfil my potentials and to realise my dreams, I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, this is one man that I would cherish until I go to my grave. I am not the only one who feel this way about him, a number of my former colleagues were all united in mourning him.
For me the most painful thing about his passing is that, I saw him last in 1996, I was already injured and I knew I was in trouble with the injury. The team was struggling and as the captain I was sidelined and there was nothing I could do. I was in pain, weeping inside daily seeing the team disintegrate around me. The management asked for his help, so he came down to Gboko with the aim of helping to recruit and restructure the team. When he saw my condition, he was not happy, I told him my fears about my career that looked like it has come to an end. I still remember what he told me…"Wait for me when I next I come to Gboko we will sit down and see how we can rehabilitate you". But I had other plans, I’d had enough of football at the time, especially the way it was being managed. I did not wait for him, I was gone by the time he came calling.
When he was in South Africa and I was in London, I called him, just to wish him well. In 2008 when he was re-appointed the Super Eagles Manager I called him to congratulate him. And every time I visited Nigeria, I would call him, he would either be in a meeting or out of the country. The last time that I was in Nigeria in 2014, for two weeks I kept calling his line, one stupid fella who claimed to be his PA kept answering his phone. It was at the height of the Keshi brouhaha, when NFF sacked him and brought in Amodu as the caretaker. I was so disappointed that I could not see him and even angry that he did not get back. It was last year when Pinnick brought some coaches down to London, my buddy Fuludu Edema was one of the coaches and Amodu was in the entourage. I called Fuludu to chat with him, in the course of the discussion, I told him what happened with futile attempt to reach Amodu when I went to Nigeria. I was surprised the next day when Amodu called, he apologised, he told me the so called PA never told him anything about me calling. He felt really bad about it all. My dream was to see him one day, just to sit with him and reminiscent on old times, this time as a former player with his coach. To appreciate him and to savor the moment that the rules and tension of the game never allow a player and his coach to share together. I have the plans to visit Nigeria next year, this was top on my priority….as I woke up on Saturday to hear his passing, this dream was shattered..alas I would never see Amodu again.
I have been bleeding inside since last Saturday, the last time I shed a tear was when a close aunt of mine died in 2009, I tried to man this one up, but I broke down in the lectures I was attending in Belfast and I had to return home. It is still hard for me to believe that he is gone, at 58, there is no rule about the age of dying, but one thing we cannot debate is, 58 is too young…way too young. Deep down I nursed the conviction that he would take Nigeria to the WC one day and only then would the script about his ordeal would be completed. I nursed the belief that his travails had every mark of great script and story that would teach us all a lesson..alas the evil men had their way. But one thing they cannot take away from you Amodu…your legacy lives on in the lives of the people whom you touched and assisted to fulfil their potentials.
Adieu my Chief Coach, I will miss you but I will forever cherish you. As long as I have breathe in me I will continue to remind all of your greatness.
Honors
1989 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1990 Mandela Cup – BCC lions FC
1991 Mandela Cup runners up – BCC lions FC
1992 FA Cup – EL-Kanemi FC
1993 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 National League – BCC lions FC
1996 Champions cup runners up – Shooting FC
2001 Qualified Nigeria for the 2002 WC – Super Eagles
2002 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
2009 Qualified Nigeria for the 2010 WC – Super Eagles
2010 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
The youngest manager to be appointed as the manager of the Super Eagles.
Coached the Super Eagles on 5 different occasions.
In 2008, he was recalled again to the Super Eagles, once again he qualified the team for the 2010 WC as well as the ANC with hundred percent record. It was as if history was repeating itself again, he came third at the ANC 2010, once again he was relieved of his post, once again denied the joy of seeing his dream of leading the team to the WC realised, a dream he had toiled for and laboured hard for. One cannot tell how hard it must have been for him or what toil the disappointment must have had on his state of mind and body, but he showed resilience through it all. He suffered in silence, twice he labored in hostile situation, in hopeless conditions and with promises not kept, yet meeting every target set before him, only to be denied by the powers that be. If he was not affected by these wicked decisions then he could not have been a mortal like the rest of us.
While he was not appreciated at home, his accomplishments were recognised both at FIFA and CAF where he had been serving as one of the technical instructors and trainers. As at the time of his passing away, he was the Technical Director of the NFF.
On a personal level Amodu remains a hero to me for many reasons. To start with, it was under him that every dream I had about the game of football was realised. The laurels and the call to the national team. There are coaches and there are coaches, Amodu is the only coach I would play for with all my life. The respect he had for me was mutual, he had seen me virtually lay it all down for him and the team. I remember in 1994, we had gathered momentum towards winning the league, we played a match against ACB in Gboko, I sustained a gash just above by eyebrows, it required about 4/5 stiches. We were to travel to Benin the for a mid-week encounter the next week, by Monday evening I was out in training with the team. When Amodu came in he called me aside, and told me to take a rest. I wanted to protest, he shut me down, I would not have you kill yourself he told me. Go home and rest you are not travelling with the team he told me.
There was another instance, we were to travel to Bourkina Fasso for continental engagement, our last match in the league was against ACB again, this time in Lagos, I was elbowed in the face and once again I sustained a cut on my face. It was Amodu’s voice I heard in the background instructing the medical team to take me out, even though I wanted to complete the match. When my father died in 1994, the FA cup zonal competition was about to start, when I told him about this, he dropped me from the team and told me to go and bury my dad. Since the team had to proceed onto the competition, he approved money for me to give my father a befitting burial. I told him I did not want the team to know, I did not want any distraction it was when the team got to Bauchi that they found out why I was missing. And during my wedding, he was there for me as coach and a big brother. He instructed the club to give me everything and anything I needed.
Listen as far as I was concerned, he was a general, a good general, the kind of general soldiers would be proud to follow into battle. I would follow Coach Amodu into any battle, because I have the ultimate confidence in his ability. I played under him for four seasons, and all the seasons I had medals and laurels to show for my efforts. Many do not understand why I am so devoted to him, Amodu was a blessing, I come from the old school where loyalty and gratitude counts. He helped me to fulfil my potentials and to realise my dreams, I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, this is one man that I would cherish until I go to my grave. I am not the only one who feel this way about him, a number of my former colleagues were all united in mourning him.
For me the most painful thing about his passing is that, I saw him last in 1996, I was already injured and I knew I was in trouble with the injury. The team was struggling and as the captain I was sidelined and there was nothing I could do. I was in pain, weeping inside daily seeing the team disintegrate around me. The management asked for his help, so he came down to Gboko with the aim of helping to recruit and restructure the team. When he saw my condition, he was not happy, I told him my fears about my career that looked like it has come to an end. I still remember what he told me…"Wait for me when I next I come to Gboko we will sit down and see how we can rehabilitate you". But I had other plans, I’d had enough of football at the time, especially the way it was being managed. I did not wait for him, I was gone by the time he came calling.
When he was in South Africa and I was in London, I called him, just to wish him well. In 2008 when he was re-appointed the Super Eagles Manager I called him to congratulate him. And every time I visited Nigeria, I would call him, he would either be in a meeting or out of the country. The last time that I was in Nigeria in 2014, for two weeks I kept calling his line, one stupid fella who claimed to be his PA kept answering his phone. It was at the height of the Keshi brouhaha, when NFF sacked him and brought in Amodu as the caretaker. I was so disappointed that I could not see him and even angry that he did not get back. It was last year when Pinnick brought some coaches down to London, my buddy Fuludu Edema was one of the coaches and Amodu was in the entourage. I called Fuludu to chat with him, in the course of the discussion, I told him what happened with futile attempt to reach Amodu when I went to Nigeria. I was surprised the next day when Amodu called, he apologised, he told me the so called PA never told him anything about me calling. He felt really bad about it all. My dream was to see him one day, just to sit with him and reminiscent on old times, this time as a former player with his coach. To appreciate him and to savor the moment that the rules and tension of the game never allow a player and his coach to share together. I have the plans to visit Nigeria next year, this was top on my priority….as I woke up on Saturday to hear his passing, this dream was shattered..alas I would never see Amodu again.
I have been bleeding inside since last Saturday, the last time I shed a tear was when a close aunt of mine died in 2009, I tried to man this one up, but I broke down in the lectures I was attending in Belfast and I had to return home. It is still hard for me to believe that he is gone, at 58, there is no rule about the age of dying, but one thing we cannot debate is, 58 is too young…way too young. Deep down I nursed the conviction that he would take Nigeria to the WC one day and only then would the script about his ordeal would be completed. I nursed the belief that his travails had every mark of great script and story that would teach us all a lesson..alas the evil men had their way. But one thing they cannot take away from you Amodu…your legacy lives on in the lives of the people whom you touched and assisted to fulfil their potentials.
Adieu my Chief Coach, I will miss you but I will forever cherish you. As long as I have breathe in me I will continue to remind all of your greatness.
Honors
1989 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1990 Mandela Cup – BCC lions FC
1991 Mandela Cup runners up – BCC lions FC
1992 FA Cup – EL-Kanemi FC
1993 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 FA Cup – BCC lions FC
1994 National League – BCC lions FC
1996 Champions cup runners up – Shooting FC
2001 Qualified Nigeria for the 2002 WC – Super Eagles
2002 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
2009 Qualified Nigeria for the 2010 WC – Super Eagles
2010 ANC Bronze – Super Eagles
The youngest manager to be appointed as the manager of the Super Eagles.
Coached the Super Eagles on 5 different occasions.
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