Nigeria’s ex-international and Abiola Babes defender, Tajudeen Disu, sat down with TAIWO ALIMI to talk about his famous football family, the good old days of grassroots and youth development football in Nigeria, plight of ex-players, life as a young Nigerian player in the U.S and how the late politician and business mogul, Chief M.K.O Abiola, changed his life and philosophy.
Disu family
The Disu family is a football family. It started with my father, Albert Suraju Disu. He was a great footballer, who played for the Railways team. He also played for his school very well. Then, my elder brother, Tunde Disu, you all know him, opened the door for us. I followed his footstep and others followed. My younger brothers, from Akeem Disu, who played for Nigeria U-20 in 1989 to Wasiu Disu, who played for Julius Berger and Nigeria U-17 and now lives in the U.S and Iliasu Disu in South Africa and the last of the family, Raheem Disu, all played to club level football. I think it is convenient to say that we are one of the biggest football families in the country. We are, indeed, a family of footballers.
Nuclear family
I am married to a loving wife, Muheebat Olayinka Disu. She is a certified nurse at Boston Hospital and we are blessed with four grown up children. Aside from the first girl, Adiat Gbemisola Disu, who was born here before the family relocated to the U.S, the others were born in the U.S and I have told them to make U.S their home because of the inherent nature of ‘grab it all’ and corruption that has crippled the system in Nigeria. My daughter is a graduate of Boston University and the CEO of Adiree Fashion New York, U.S and was part of the African Fashion Show in New York last year July. My first son, Waheed Olusegun Disu, is a graduate of Howard University, Maryland, while my twins, Ibrahim Kehinde Disu and Ismail Taiwo Disu, are undergraduates at Florida State University. They are all athletic and doing well in that area too, though they are more interested in basketball, which is popular there.
We have a house in Alabama, where I schooled, and one in Boston, where we later moved to. We have rented out the Alabama house and I was able to achieve this because of one person, Chief M.K.O Abiola.
M.K.O Abiola
My philosophy about life and success is largely based on what I learnt from Chief M.K.O Abiola, who is my benefactor. Chief Abiola touched the lives of everyone that passed thorough him. He was a man with a large heart and many of them like me travelled abroad and took our family there because of his magnanimity. I am a graduate today because Chief Abiola put money on me. He made me to understand the meaning of success in life. Success is not about money in banks or cars in the garage. Aside from Steven Keshi, who helped many youngsters from Nigeria to clubs in Europe, I am bold to say that no Nigerian player dead and alive has done more than me to help educate young Nigerian players abroad. When I had the opportunity to help, I did and that is why today I can walk tall. After Chief Abiola helped me to further my studies in the U.S, I extended the gesture to about 18 players. I helped them sit for their exams here, secured their visas and some of them stayed in my house before finding their feet. Some of them are Tosin Adebambo, Wasiu Adebayo, Ganiyu Adebayo, Emmanuel Akpan, Pius Oley, Seun Robert, and Seun Ashagidingbi, to mention but a few. We must continue to help each other.
Perhaps, if Chief Abiola had not helped me, I probably would have been like many ex-players, who, today, don’t have much to do and are leaving in penury, having to beg to eat and feed their family. However, he gave me that opportunity when Nigeria failed me. I said this because after we (Flying Eagles 1983) qualified Nigeria for it first FIFA tournament in Mexico, we were promised heaven and earth but more than 30 years after, the scholarships promised is yet to be fulfilled. However, Chief Abiola singlehandedly fulfilled his after we delivered the FA Cup trophy in the colours of Abiola Babes beating Ranchers Bees in 1987. He gave me a four-year scholarship with accommodation and feeding all taken care of. He saw to it that I secured visa in Nigeria and when I was leaving he gave me a note to a bank in New York and there an account was open in my name. When I got to the school in Alabama, the school gave me another athletics scholarship and it was the money that Chief Abiola gave me enough to take care of my family – wife and baby – that I left in Nigeria. I returned after one year, did my wedding, and relocated my family to the U.S. I graduated in Agricultural Economics and did my Masters in Sports Management.
I cannot forget what Chief Abiola did for me and because of this I told myself I must be a blessing to others. So, before I graduated I made sure I secured scholarships for 15 up and coming Nigerian players. In my first year, I had Ganiyu Akanni, Waidi Akanni’s brother, Ifeanyi Edemba, Emmanuel Akpan, Tosin Adebanbo and Wasiu Adebayo. I would use my money to register SAT for them and as soon as they pass it they would get their visas and come in. Others came through the same process in subsequent years.
I don’t think Nigerian players today are doing enough to help themselves. The present crop of players should do it and help the young ones to find their feet. We must help ourselves or else we hang separately.
If you look at members of the 1983 class of Flying Eagles, which I am part of, you will find out that most of us are graduates. In fact 80 per cent of us graduated from higher institutions. Even those of us that are here are not doing badly. Current coach of the U-20, Manu Garba, is doing great. We are focused and that has helped us tremendously. Paul Okoku, Dehinde Akinlotan, Femi and Segun Olukanni, to mention but few, are all abroad and doing well.
Problem of ex-footballers
I think we are the problem of ourselves. We have ex-internationals like Peter Anieke seriously down. Peter Fregene is there. We have lost some of them like Yomi Peters. There are many like him and the truth is that we are our own problem. We have refused to love ourselves; we have refused to come together as one by having one Players Union that would cater for us all. Sadly, it is because of greed and selfish interest.
There is no way we can help ourselves if we don’t speak with one voice. Therefore, we must come together. In other climes, Players Unions are very strong and we know what we can do when we are together. Anieke is our idol. It is a pity he is going through this problem. Merely looking at him, you will feel pity for him. Many are like this; we have Peter Fregene, we have Bunmi Adigun, and many have passed away dejected, sad and lonely.
We don’t need two or three players unions but one strong union. If we are together, we must support ourselves. We even clamour for the downfall of our members in positions so we can take their places. We dig pits for ourselves to fall. It is sad but that is the reality on ground.
In addition, it is all about politics and we must partake in the politics of football. Ex-players should aspire to be FA chairmen in the states so that we can position ourselves too. It would be my joy to see ex-players at the helms of affair as NFF president and to be on the FA board. We must begin to act now. We have qualified ex-players who can who are capable of running our football.
Thank God that from our AGM two weeks ago, we are seeing a resemblance of unity. The venue of the meeting was packed and we can now talk of having one body that is recognised by all parties, players, referees, female footballers, even deaf footballers, coaches, the NFF and FIFA. This is the beginning of good things to come and what I would tell others that are still out there is to come into this one umbrella so we can talk as one. We should forget our selfish interest, come together so that we can form a strong force. We lost one of our icons, Yomi Peters, recently and what he told us on his deathbed was the same thing about coming together.
Players Union
Currently, I am the director of Players Welfare with APFON (Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria) and so far so good, it’s been well and we are waxing stronger. APFON is here to stay and few days ago we had our Annual General Meeting (AGM). I cannot ask for a better position because I like to fight for interest of players. I imbibed this attitude from my teen when my colleagues like Paul Okoku, the Olukanni brothers, Sunday Benson, Sunday Joseph, John Itohan and others from my school, Baptist Academy, would gather at my father’s house in Lawanson and my mother would cook for all us and they would all sleep in my room. I think it has always been in me.
Nigerian football
Then, we need to change the way we do things. If you look at our set, the 1983 Flying Eagles, we were all in school and that encouraged us to further our education. Nevertheless, today things are done differently. How can you be in a big club, you are not in school and you are playing in the U-17? Grassroots football must be re-designed so that education is compulsory like our time. Then they can seek athletic scholarships abroad and better their career so that after their soccer career they can have something to fall back on. In those days, coaches would even go to schools to scout for players. Principal Cup was so glamorous that coaches run to watch game and scout for players. Today, the FA Cup is not even glamorous. You beg people to come into stadium and people don’t even go. Grassroots football is also important. It doesn’t matter whether some companies are feeding fat on it, let them and let the grassroots development go on. I’m sure we shall get it right too.
