You've been out of the scene for a while. What are you doing now? I am not out of the scene but I would say I have not been at the right place at the right time. But I am still in football business. Presently I am a coach; I just returned from a coaching programme in Norway on Tuesday. Having returned home from the United Kingdom six years ago as a qualified Level 1 and 2 coach, I looked for a job but I couldn't find any, so I decided to start work at the grassroots level. And I have discovered some quality players. What were the challenges you faced while growing up? I faced a lot of challenges. In my family, everybody had to fend for themselves. My father married three wives and he didn't care for everybody. At a point, I worked as a vulcaniser. I was also a bus conductor but at the same time, I took my football seriously. I played street football and we organised ourselves; went to friends and families to raise money for our jerseys and register for competitions. That was the challenges that we faced then. So, the opportunity came after I represented Imo State in the football event of the National Sports Festival with the likes of Nwankwo Kanu and Mobi Oparaku in 1991. I played for Police FC against Enugu Rangers and I had a very good game and Udoji United came for me and asked me to sign for them. Ever since, I haven't looked back. After a tough childhood, making your Nigeria debut was surely fulfilling... Yes, it was a proud moment for me. It was an All Africa Games qualifier between Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire in 1995. We played the first leg in Ibadan. The first game I played for the Super Eagles was against Zambia. I felt very proud to play for the Eagles; it was a different ball game playing at the senior level compared to the U-23 national team. I went on to play more games for the Eagles. A reporter once said I never played for the Eagles. I told him I did play. I represented Nigeria at the LG Cup in Tunisia, I played in Carlsberg tournament in Hong Kong, which we won, I played an invitational tournament in Morocco. I also played against Jamaica and then against Switzerland when Nigeria was preparing for the World Cup. I played lots of games for the Eagles but I didn't represent the country in a major tournament at senior level. It's not easy to be selected amongst millions to represent your country; so, it's a good thing for me. After playing an important role during the qualifiers for the 1996 Olympics, you were left on the bench in Atlanta. What happened? I am being asked this question for the first time. I played a major role in the team right from the time of Willy Bazuaye, who was the team's first coach before Bonfrere Jo took over. I gave my best during the qualifiers but when we qualified for the Olympics, Bonfrere told me to drop my agent but I refused. My problem started from there. Though he didn't tell me anything, but I knew that was the reason I was omitted from the team's starting line-up and he never gave me the chance to play at the Olympics. Agents came from France to watch me play in Atlanta but Bonfrere denied them a chance of seeing me play. When (Sunday) Oliseh got a red card, people were expecting me to play as a holding midfielder because Uche Okechukwu came in as one of the over-age players and took my place in central defence. I also play in midfield, so I was supposed to fill in for Oliseh when he was suspended but Bonfrere brought in Garba Lawal instead. He is the coach and I didn't have to fight him but that was exactly what happened; he never gave me the opportunity to play in the tournament proper. But I don't regret it because I was still part of the team and today, I am an Olympic Games gold medalist. What could be better? How do you feel anytime you look at your gold medal? Honestly, I wanted to sell that gold medal at a point. That was in 2008 when I was in the United Kingdom; I wanted to sell it because I had financial challenges at that time and I thank God I didn't sell the medal at the end of the day. Since nobody cared for you from your country, you had to fend for yourself. Surprisingly, even the Member of The Niger award that was given to us is not recognised. When you go to some offices and tell them that you are MON, they won't even look at you. They will ask you, "Is MON above the law?" Somebody has asked me that. It's surprising. What is the need of giving me MON award if I cannot enjoy the benefits and privileges that come with it? But when I see the Olympic medal now, I feel very proud. It gives me joy. When I was in London, even my white colleagues in my office felt very proud working with an Olympic gold medalist. The coaches that trained me were also impressed. You know whites like evidence. When I told them I was an Olympic gold medalist, they didn't believe but when I showed them the medal, they were surprised. They said, "What are you doing here? You are a superstar and you need to work in your country." So it was somehow disappointing. Why were you unable to play in Europe for a long time? When I went to Go Ahead Eagles for my medical, they told me that I have an enlarged heart. And I asked them what the effect was. They told me that what it meant was that I would get tired faster than any other player on the pitch. Really, that was what I was experiencing. I wanted to know what medication I could use to regain my fitness 100 per cent but I was told there was nothing I could do about it. Its natural; something that I was born with. That was why I couldn't give my very best even though I was one of the best defenders. In the 1997/98 season, I played against VVV Venlo and they wanted to sign me but my club (Go Ahead Eagles) refused because they didn't want my heart issue to be revealed to other clubs. I still thank them for what they did for me because if I had gone to Venlo, it would have become a big issue. So, because of that, I couldn't go beyond what I achieved as a player but I don't have any regrets. Was it true that a mafia existed in the Eagles during your time? I didn't witness anything like mafia during our own time. It was after we finished playing that we heard that Okocha and Oliseh were having issues. In our own days, we were just like one family; we worked together, ate together and played together. I played last for the Eagles in 1999 against Ghana inside the National Stadium, Lagos. It was after then that things like that started happening. I never experienced it. Do you have any regrets not playing at the World Cup? Yes, I didn't play at the World Cup but I got the chance in 1998. I remember vividly that after I posted an impressive performance at the Carlsberg Cup, every Nigerian was expecting me to make the team for the France '98 World Cup. But when I got to the team's camp in Switzerland, I sustained a ligament injury and that hindered me from representing Nigeria at the World Cup in 1998. But all hope is not lost. I am a coach and by the grace of God, I can still find myself there one day. With God, miracles can happen; I may be the first coach that would win the World Cup for Nigeria. Yes, that is my dream. You played inside the National Stadium, Lagos. How do you feel seeing the facility abandoned? I feel very bad. I ask, "Why would Nigeria abandon the National Stadium?" Even though we have one in Abuja, we still need to maintain this one, it's still our stadium. I am unhappy that it's been neglected. Our problem in Africa unlike in Europe is that we don't have a good management system. The stadium has been neglected because nobody is managing it. They need to do something about it. I remember playing inside the main bowl. It was a great atmosphere. Over 70,000 fans would be chanting your name. When you look from down to up, you see people cheering you and enjoying your game, you feel very happy and it gave you contentment. But these days, even when the Eagles are playing, the stadiums are virtually empty. People are engaged in one thing or the other, forgetting the national team. It's not good. The same thing applies to our league. What are your best and worst moments? My worst moment was discovering that I won't play football long enough because every player dreams to play in the Champions League and World Cup. But it never happened and that was a sad moment for me. I never had any regrets though. I just came back from Holland on a visit to my former club and the fans were excited. They were shouting my name. After so many years that I left the club, I didn't know that the fans still remembered my little contribution to the club. They gave me a befitting reception: the players, technical crew, supporters and the management all welcomed me. It was a great moment for me. Who was the toughest striker you played against? In Nigeria, I would say it was Ben Agada. He elbowed me and I lost my teeth. In Europe, I can't remember any. I played as an attacker, winger and defender in Europe. What is your assessment of the just concluded season of the Nigerian league? There are some improvements; the referees have improved a little bit and now clubs can travel away and win points and matches. But the only issue is that our players are not being paid on time. The reason is because most of the clubs are funded by the government. We know how long it takes to approve and release money to clubs. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to clubs that football is big business and the players need to be taken care of. I want the club chairmen to look into this issue. If the game is neglected, it will affect the nation; the government needs to do more and the managers need to be sincere. When money is released to them, they should pay the players so that they can be happy and give their best. What is your advice to the up-and-coming players? We need to know where we come from; not when we receive some money and then begin to misbehave. Any player that wants to succeed must listen to advice; he must be disciplined. That is what helped me in my career; I never quarreled with my coaches. Coaches make players. So the players must remain focused, work hard and pray to God.
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