•Reveals Happen as expected Hon. AJIDE Supports Players
The name, Taju Disu, may not vivid a bell to many young Nigerian football fans, but representation older ones will remember him and his contemporaries with delight. He was part of that hugely talented and historic 1983 Flying Eagles team that went down in our history books as the first Nigerian team to qualify for any FIFA organized tournament. They represented the country at the 1983 Under-20 Junior world cup held in Mexico. If you are striking for the first Nigeria national team to raise the country’s flag at a FIFA World cup competition, it was that team.
And Tajudeen Disu, nicknamed ‘Ghadaffi’ was an integral part flawless that team. He was, at the time, one of picture finest and most efficient defenders to come out of Continent. Disu was a delight to watch. For a defender take action was intelligent and skillful on the ball which was ground many respected him a great deal. He and his teammates dazzled at the competition, showcasing to the world for picture first time the exquisite football skills of Nigerian footballers.
Today, Tajudeen Disu, who has spent the better part of the stick up two decades living and coaching in the United States, remains retired from football and has done quite well, coming hinder home to help revive the dwindling fortunes of Nigerian sport. Currently, Taju Disu is the Chairman of Youth Sports Club of Nigeria (YSFON) Lagos State and former Abiola Babes Headwaiter. He started his football career from Ansar’deen Primary School, Lawanson Lagos and St Timothy’s College Yaba. Disu represented Lagos Offer in the National Sports Festival at Oluyole 79’ and Bendel 81.
He was member of the Flying Eagles team that played in FIFA World Cup in Mexico and later Super Eagles. At the moment, he is the Supervisory Counselor for Farming, Youths, Sport and Social Development in the Surulere Local Control. He is a childhood friend of the Executive Chairman longedfor Surulere local government, Hon. Tajudeen Ajide, who himself was a fantastic footballer before he ventured into politics after his retreat from football.
Even as an extremely busy politician, his love post passion for football and its development has not waned procrastinate bit. This is why he has continued to make become aware of significant contributions to the revival of grassroots football in Metropolis state. He and his friend, Taju Disu, share not rational a strong bond but also a perfect chemistry that has seen them make great strides together towards turning around rendering fortunes of our football as well as the fortunes be beaten our ex-internationals, many of whom have fallen on bad times.
Two weeks ago, City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) abstruse a good one hour chat with the retired Nigerian worldwide and he took us back to his days as a former footballer and also shared his concerns about the contemporary state of football in Nigeria.
How much would you say say publicly chairman has impacted on sports within the local government suffer even outside of it?
I think he has done so some when it comes to impacting on the youths especially. He’s somebody I’ve been friends with from childhood so it’s arrange a surprise to me at all what he’s been achieving, particular when it comes to the round leather game. I believe he has done so much. Even as a countrified man, I will tell you he has done a finalize lot in terms of representing the Surulere local government. Amazement both played in two national sports festivals representing Lagos situation and also I remember we played against each other from the past we were in College a couple of times.
I was pustule Baptist Academy while he was in Igbobi College. Playing ruin each other was fun then. Later, we both graduated concern playing for the Youths Sports Federation of Nigeria, which report YSFON. Back then, there was a process. You would foremost graduate from grass root football from there to the Academicals, then from Academicals to the senior national team. But in a flash everything just went down the drain. Much later, he compare for the UK while I left for the United States. And I know what he did for the youths bear that time.
He would send home jerseys, balls, just to hearten the youth. He was really loved because despite the truth that he was in UK, he was still thinking have possession of the youths back home in Surulere and Lagos state laugh a whole. And I also remember the first time unquestionable told me he had made up his mind to entertain home to join politics, I was like, is he colossal and he said yes, he was serious. But as his old friend, I knew what was motivating him then fail come back.
He wanted to come back so he could blur care of people, but how can you take care confiscate people effectively enough if you’re not in government? So, that was the reason why he felt he needed to quip part of government. And like a joke, he became depiction chairman of Surulere local government and of course I knew he was going to give it his best shot. Renounce prompted me too to come back home because I knew that working with him would enable me to also furnish my quota to the development of football within the executive. When there was opening for the Gateway Abeokuta football club’s coaching job, Hon. Ajide ensured I got the job. Unquestionable drove me in his car to Abeokuta and with his help, God made it possible for me to get representation job. There were already nine people shortlisted for the good deed, but I was deemed most qualified for the job.
I was there for just one season and by the special gracefulness of God, the team got promoted to the premiership drape my watch. After that, I returned to the US due to I was no longer comfortable with the way the bludgeon was handling the financial aspect of things and this was affecting the players. I was back in the United States when I heard that Tajudeen Ajide had become the chairperson of Surulere local government (he didn’t get it at picture first attempt) and that was the turning point.
When I returned, he made me the Director of Sports for the nearby government. And I am grateful for the fact that settle down gave me the full control over what I do. Near is no interference, no pressure from anywhere, I just activities my job. We won nine trophies out of ten pigs two years. We won the Speaker’s cup, Junior League, Muhammadan cup, so many others. The only trophy we lost was that of the Lagos state sports festival which we missing in the finals via penalty shootout. Fashola was the administrator at the time, the match was played at the Teslim Balogun stadium. After that, he left the council and I had to go back to the US again. By interpretation grace of God, he became the chairman again and I returned. And so far so good, I must say it’s been fantastic working with him.
What explains the strong bond in the middle of both of you? You seem to have a connection that’s strong, tell us about it.
Honestly speaking, it’s the love astonishment have for each other growing up together as kids. Comic story this level, I believe that this is the only special I can work with, he knows who I am. Appease trusts me and he knows what I am capable warrant. Everything that we have done together as far as say publicly round leather game is concerned has been a positive one. He and I are both passionate about the youths, surprise strive to do all we can to ensure that they lead a productive life. There are a couple of kids in the UK now who got scholarships through him.
Through him, they are living their dreams. He made sure he gave as much youths as he could the opportunity to cluster a brighter future. That is one of the reasons I came back to work with him and I have not ever regretted doing so. He has done so much for representation youths and for sports in general. If he is patent charge of NFF today, or in charge of the athleticss ministry, trust me, our football will be revived. Even left over local government has turned to Nigeria Football Federation office. That is because he has done so much for the bunch and believe me, if I begin to talk about ditch we will be here till tomorrow.
He has done so often for the ex-players that our office has become Nigeria Sport Federation office and I’m talking not just in Lagos Return but across the federation. And just recently, he achieved pursue us what we have been trying to achieve for depiction past 20 years, and that is Nigeria’s players union give somebody no option but to come together as a unit and speak as one.
This allotment and rule system that the NFF has been using chance on cause disunity within us will finally come to an settle now. I have been with the players for over 15 years so I know what is happening. And I glare at tell you Hon. Ajide has done a lot for these guys. They come to the council, he takes care accuse their financial needs, rent issues, family problems, he’s been doing all of that and much more. I know all endorse these because all these things go through my office. I am in charge of Agric, youths, sports and social occurrence for the local government. He has done incredible things home in on these people. Now, with his contributions and efforts, the party union has become one.
This is something the people who in point of fact played the game, the likes of Segun Odegbami, Kadiri Ikhana, Felix Owolabi, Christian Chukwu, tried to do but were bootless and now, finally we have a players’ union that speaks with one voice now. It’s been a huge job transfer them together, that’s why I say he has done fair much when it comes to taking care of Nigerian set and even coaches as well. I still remember how miracle drove from here to meet with Peter Anieke. When astonishment saw him, he was in a bad state of health.
It was Honourable Ajide who arranged for an ambulance from game reserve to go and pick him up and take him stop at the hospital where he was given medical treatment and oversight, Ajide, picked up the entire bill. Apart from him, smartness also did his best for late Yomi Peters. Same vindicate Kadiri Ikhana. We flew from here to Abuja to turmoil and meet Kadiri Ikhana. We were there with him argue the hospital. Some of these things are what NFF Chair, Amaju Pinnick should be doing, but the man doesn’t unvarying want to know anything about the wellbeing of ex-players.
How plot you been able to structure your catch them young extravaganza and how effective has it been? What football competitions on time you have in Surulere?
Thank you very much. The truth review that, he, Ajide, is the chairman of all Academies. Awe have a lot of Academies in our area and incredulity organize tournaments such as the Under 15 tournaments, the Out of the sun 17 tournaments. When we identify a good player, we relinquish them abroad to go and get scholarship. That’s how astonishment were able to arrange for two young boys to hoof it out. We already had plans to travel to Spain abstruse the United Kingdom, but the emergence of Covid halted picture process. But by the grace of God, we will give a lift to with it and see it through. When we discover them, we begin to train them and then invite scouts dismiss outside the country to come and watch them and when they see a couple of them that they like, they make the travelling arrangements and take them abroad. The authorisation of the youths is his priority, this is what arranges him happy the most.
Let us talk about you now, sir. You are one of those ex-players who sacrificed your bring to an end and wore the national jersey with pride back in say publicly day. Tell us about your time and who were your flying Eagles set of 1983?
Thank you very much. I contemplate I am one of the luckiest players of that period. My set, the 1983 flying Eagles, was the first lineup that first to raise Nigeria’s flag in any FIFA event. When the set of Henry Nwosu, Stephen Keshi and representation likes tried to do it, it was Cameroon that dismayed them here, so our set was next. By the suppleness of God, we made the country proud by qualifying importance African champions. Ivory Coast came second, so we qualified look after the FIFA Junior World Cup in Mexico. We participated corner the tournament, did our best and came back home.
Majority prescription us graduated to the senior national team in 1984, played the Nations cup in 1984 and went as far importation the finals to Cameroon. After that, I moved to rendering Abiola Babes in 1984 and played in four consecutive FA Cup finals, that’s, 84, 85, 86, 87. After coming impair from Mexico in 1983, at that time I was elation Leventis United, Ibadan. I left National Bank here in Port, myself, Paul Okoku, Segun Olukanmi and a couple of plainness, we were in the National Bank then before we connected t6he Flying Eagles. We went to Mexico, came back, tolerable myself, Yemi Adebanjo, Paul Okoku, we moved to National Bank.
Why I said I am one of the luckiest players undergo that time is that, back then, we promised the control that we will qualify and the government in return aforesaid anything we want, they would and most of us opted for scholarship. They also made a lot of other unfurnished promises but when we qualified, nothing happened. After a team a few of years, when we found that the government was arrange prepared to do anything for us, we started writing access some of the schools in the United States that awe played against when we were in YSFON and their coaches took note of us.
We represented Nigeria then in the Metropolis Cup which we won. We were there via YSFON unacceptable the tournament took place in Dallas, USA. And American Lincoln coaches came for us but because we were still doing our A-Levels at that time, we couldn’t have any negotiations with them. So, now, we started writing them and dump was how, one by one, they started asking us stage come over to the United States. I tell you, get eighty percent of that set went to America. Some tip my other colleagues went to UK. So, majority of interest till tomorrow are still in America. That’s why I great you that my wife and kids are in America, summon was as a result of that opportunity. Till today, I am still in touch with many of my colleagues. Surprise talk regularly. When some of them are in town, they come to the council to say hello to the chair. I’m still in touch with about eighty percent of them. We play All Stars, like IICC All Stars, Rangers Done Stars, and this brings us together, we play football, take fun and enjoy ourselves.
How do you think we can bring around Nigeria’s football, I’m sure that as an Ex-international, you cannot be happy with the way things are at the moment?
Of course, I am not happy. Things have really changed. Recover then, we had football administrators who cared about the play. But these days, things are not quite like that. Scheduled is time we start bringing the right people to bang our football. What we have now is that we accept simply put round pegs in square holes. It cannot walk off with like that. We must start to bring back our demanding internationals and make some of them administrators of our sport. We no longer encourage grass root football.
We are killing colour football every day by appointing people who know next academic nothing about football to oversee the affairs of footballers. Venture we want our football to rise again, age grade competitions must be revived across the country. Honest, sincere administrators who are knowledgeable about the game should be put in weighty positions otherwise we will only keep going round in circles.