While it’s common to see personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and other Military and other Para-military organisations choosing sports as a professional career, the same cannot be said of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC). Even though, FRSC own and finance Road Safety FC, a Club that plays in the lower cadre of the Nigerian Football League, Nigeria National League (NNL) but it’s very rare to see any Road Safety personnel playing professional football. But one personnel of the agency who is breaking the stereotype is the Nasarawa United midfield Nduka Chidera. Reports Taofeek Babalola.
ALTHOUGH, the gentle-looking teenage sensation, who hails from Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, South-east Nigeria, holds a childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer before he became a safety marshal.
Desirous to make his dream come through, Chidera popularly known as ‘Eshi’ would move from his former Club to play for Rising Academy based in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, spending the whole of 2013 and 14 seasons with the team.
And due to his commitment and knowledge of the game, he was snapped up by the Road Safety Academy, Enugu, a team he went on to spend three seasons with, beginning from 2015-18.
The intelligent player, who can both play as a defensive and attacking midfielder further caught the eyes of the Road Safety Corps football team, and it didn’t take long before he was snapped up by the Safety Strikers of Abuja, playing from 2019-2020, and helping the team to win games in the second tier of the Nigeria National League, NNL.
Chidera initially combined his Road Safety job with playing football before he moved to Nasarawa United after signing a professional contract with the Lafia-cased outfit.
“Playing football as a safety marshal wasn’t easy for me at first, but thank God that it eventually worked out well for me, and this is because the right thing was done and the right process was followed,” Chidera said.
He added: “When I became a safety marshal, I thought that would be the end of me playing football because I became more dedicated to my job than any other thing, which made me stop playing for a while.
“But one thing I learnt in life is that you can’t escape your destiny, even when you fail to respond, it will definitely find you, somehow. When I first joined the Road Safety Club, I never knew they were playing in the Country’s second division football league known as the Nigeria National League (NNL). So, I was working and hoping to be part of the team someday. As providence would have it, they called for trials for new intakes to join the football team. I went with God on my side and I passed the trial and got retained.
“Then after some time, I started playing for the Federal Road Safety Corps team, and the sky became my starting point. I started getting offers from different clubs. At that point, I became confused because all the clubs coming for me wanted to secure my signature, and this could make me to lose my job with the FRSC and those I was working for.
“So, I had to inform my superiors on what was happening, and they confidently told me that I have nothing to worry about. That the only thing I should be worried about is that I should continue making them proud and always do the right things.
“They also told me that there’s a rule guiding such opportunity, meaning, for me to accept any offer from any club, it has to be on a loan deal, and such a club must be responsible for my monthly remuneration as my monthly salary with the FRSC would be stopped, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the agency. That I would continue to receive my salary with the FRSC once my loan sojourn expires. It’s a difficult decision, but I accepted it without regret.”
The midfield maestro, whose pattern of play is likened to that of former Barcelona’s and Spain’s Andres Iniesta, urged anyone who finds himself in this kind of situation never to give up.
“Football has been in me right from my childhood. It chose me, I didn’t choose it. So, today, I urge anyone who finds himself in my kind of situation never to give up.”
Speaking about how his family reacted to the news of his intention to play football as a professional while still a corps Marshall, he said: “They welcomed it because they knew I had the talent and it makes them happy and they gave me their blessings that have kept me till today,” he said.
The 1.80m tall and weight of 65kg sensation began his football career with Young Stars Academy at Iva Valley, in Enugu State, in 2011 where he spent two years.
He equally played for another second-tier team, Yobe Desert Stars of Damaturu, for one season (2020/21), from where he moved to top-tier Nigeria Professional Football League side, Nasarawa United FC in the beginning of the 2021/22 League Season.
The Road Marshal Assistant 1 described his debut season at top-flight football as wonderful. He admitted that the NPFL is a tough league but he is confident that the Solid Miners will have a nice outing next season.
“My first season with Nasarawa United was wonderful. The team beat the odds to finish 6th. Though we didn’t win the league but we were working hard to win the Aiteo Cup before the unfortunate development which ended the FA Cup abruptly. But our plan is to make next season count and reward our supporters and fans alike. The NPFL is a difficult league, but nothing is impossible,” Chidera stated.
Like any other top player, Chidera is determined to continue to work harder and play in one of the best leagues in the world as well as playing for the national teams.
“My plans are to play in one of the best leagues in the World, like the EPL or La Liga, and also wear the national colours of my country, Nigeria,” he said
With an unrepentant love for PSG of France and strong admiration for Toni Kroos, Chidera is rated as the best box-to-box midfielder for Nasarawa United and one of the best in the NPFL, providing defense-splitting passes and halting opponents’ penetration against his team.