In this final installment of a three-part interview he granted Sports247, the chairman of Anambra State Football Association, Chikelue Iloenyosi (aka General) added a spiritual angle to his views on the production of future stars for Nigeria, as he declared that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom for any up and coming player …
Read Also: UNSCRIPTED: My Next Best Passion After Football Is Helping People In Need – Chikelue Iloenyosi (Part 2)
UNSCRIPTED: Anambra State FA Chairman Chikelue Iloenyosi Reveals How He Got His Nickname ‘General’ (Part 1)
Q: What was your most memorable moment as a footballer?
A: I have so many memorable moments in my life and a lot of memorable moments as a footballer. One unusually great moment, though, came when I went to Libya. I went to see the son of their president of that time, Mouamar Ghaddafi.
I still remember what he told me about Nigeria and a lot of other things. After that, Sarfi Ghaddafi became a very close friend to me and my family. I saw him as somebody who is like me … driven by passion and supporting football with his heart.
Till today, I still owe very big thanks to him because of how he welcomed me and treated me well in Libya before they fought the war. I still have so much love and respect for the family of Ghaddafi until today.
Q: Let’s take a look at the face of Nigerian football today … has anything changed?
A: Yes, what has changed in Nigerian football today is that anybody who wants to play the game always wants to quickly go abroad. They want to start today and go abroad tomorrow.
In our own time, you had to play many years at home before going abroad. In my own case, I played for El-Kanemi, I played for Julius Berger, I played for Iwuanyanwu, Udoji, Vasco, Rangers.
We had to gather all the necessary experience before travelling abroad. Today, just one match in the league today and tomorrow they are out of the country.
In our time, nobody cared about your career as people do nowadays. NFF in our days would invite you only based on the performance you have and what you play for your club.
It’s not like now, when agents give coaches the names of their players to invite. In those days, if you are playing football, they will see you and if they like you they will call you. Football does not hide itself.
Q: Does this mean you do not support how players are recommended to the national teams?
A: I’m not saying you should not introduce a player to be invited by a coach, but it must be based on merit. In my days, nobody introduced us to any coach.
If you play in the local league, they will see you play and invite you if you are good. You can go on to play under-23, under-20 Flying Eagles, or under-17 Golden Eaglets. Today, it’s not like that. Everyone is just recommending players that are close to them.
Q: What’s your view about home-based players in the current Super Eagles?
A: For home-based players to be invited to the Super Eagles, the league has to be very strong. The league has to be strong for you to have good players who can be invited to the national team.
I like what the coach (Eric Echelle) did last time out when he invited home-based players for the Unity Cup in London. That was a great moment to show that our league is improving, and I’m happy with how it happened.
I’m one of the people who canvassed to make sure home-based players are being tried out and given opportunities to do their things in the national team.
Q: Will you then say the advent of football academies is a minus for Nigeria?
A: No, academies are important, but it’s the way they operate that matters. In our days, you can get invitations from school sports, university games, and other youth competitions … but all those things are no more.
What is here nowadays, for you to be invited to the national team, means you have to play in NLO, NNL, or the NPFL. So, you have to work hard.
If you don’t work hard, nobody’s going to call you, because the opportunity of inviting you means you must be an extraordinary player who cannot be overlooked for the national team of Nigeria.
Q: So, what’s your advice to Nigeria’s current array of young players?
A: They just have to work hard. The only way to succeed is by working hard. Work hard, work hard, work hard for yourself and for your team.
You working hard is going to reward you with a lot of things. You need self-discipline, the fear of God, obedience to your parents and self-confidence.
You have to know who you are for you to know how you can get it right in whatever you are doing.
Q: What’s the legacy you want to leave behind as Anambra State FA chairman?
A: The legacy that I want to leave is for people to remember me as the man who says anyone who wants to play football must make sure they come close to God. You must put God first before any other thing in your life.
God is the one who has the key for everything, and He will support you to make sure you get it right. It’s only God … human beings cannot make you become anything you want without God.
It’s only God that can support you fully without any condition attached. That’s why I am so happy about the life I have lived and how I am living today. I am happy with the life I’m living to make sure I give love and respect to the fear of God. That has kept me where I am today.
So, I’m telling all my fans that whatever you are doing, make sure that you put God first, and that’s how you will succeed in life.
Q: As Anambra FA chairman, what is that thing you want to leave for people in the state to talk about you in future?
A: In all that I’m already doing in Anambra State, I have shown my capacity as a human being to make sure we go to the next level. What I’m doing is to help young and talented footballers make sure they get it right.
Developmental football at the grassroots is very central to what I’m doing. That is the mark I’m leaving in Anambra State.
It’s the only state in the whole of Nigeria that has under-15 and under-17 teams permanently positioned with a data base that people can check.
We recently did a scouting programme in which we had 11,000 kids attending. Sadly, we could not send their names to the national level because Nigeria did not qualify for the African U17 Nations Cup.
As for us in Anambra State, I’m so happy for what we are doing to make sure we discover hidden talents. We are in line with what every good government is expected to be doing to make sure kids of today are out of trouble.
So, we are doing well in Anambra State with football development, and I want to thank everyone who’s supporting the project … people like Davidson Obikwe, Uzor Egbuna, Victor Nwagwu, Mike Umeh, Neros Pharmaceuticals, Gabros and my late friend, Senator Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah.
These are people who are driven by passion to make sure Anambra State grows again as a hub for football in Nigeria. I’m happy about all they are doing and for the things we are achieving.
I thank everybody … fans and stakeholders in football all across Nigeria and Anambra State … for the support they have been giving me. I also want to thank the president of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Gusau.
Everyone can see the great things he is doing. This year’s President Federation Cup final was a good example of the great things he is doing. It was a fantastic one.
I also want to thank the chairman of Lagos State Football Association, Mr Gafar Liameed. He has also done very well. The same for Kwara United, who won this year’s FA Cup and Abakaliki FC for getting to the final despite being in the lower league.
Q: We understand that you have a twin sister…
A: Yes, I do. I’m also happy for my twin sister, Hajia Cosmas Oguguo. She’s been a wonderful person to me, and anything she might have done that appeared to be bad in the past is forgotten because we are moving forward.
Q: … and that brings us to the end of this interview. On behalf of Sports247 and our readers, we say thanks to you, ‘General,’ for giving us part of your precious time…
A: You are welcome..
