There is treasure in Ilorin, untapped by international football. Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq does not only think about Kwara, his brain is full of ideas that move with supersonic speed.
Long before AbdulRazaq moved to Government House, he followed soccer round the globe. So passionate is this man that he drove to Ouagadougou to watch the 1998 African Nations Cup. And the Super Eagles were not there.
In 2002, this soccer loving tourist hit the road again, driving from Lagos to Mopti to support the Eagles. While many compatriots flew to Mali, AbdulRazaq sped across boarders, from Seme to Aflao and beyond until he entered Mali.
I have been to Ouagadougou and I know how a road journey feels. In 1998, I watched Nigeria against Burkina Faso. My trip was by air. I flew Air Afrique to Abidjan before connecting another flight to the Burkinabe capital.
Members of the Supporters club wanted fun. They chartered two Chisco luxury buses, from Lagos. They made the trip in 48 hours. From my Yibi Hotel base along Avenue Kwame Nkrumah, I visited them. Many looked weary. And they were just passengers, not drivers.
Abdulrazaq is never tired of driving all over West Africa. I am so sure that if not for politics, the governor would have registered for the Paris- Dakar Rally.
I was in touch, recently, with the international driver who is most qualified to be described as Eagles’ Number One supporter. His stories kept me wondering why we do not celebrate such heroes.
Abdulrazaq said: “I drove from Lagos, through Benin Republic and Togo, to watch the African Nations Cup in Burkina Faso. I passed through Bobo Dioulasso. That was in 1998. Nigeria did not participate because we were suspended due to our boycott of the previous edition on Gen. Sani Abacha’s order.”
We were discussing Issoufou Dayo, the Ogbomosho libero who plays for African Super Cup champions RS Berkane of Morocco and the Burkinabe national team, Etalons. He is Yoruba but was born in Bobo Dioulasso.
By 2002, the Eagles had been reabsorbed. Off to Mali they went for the African Nations Cup. Our man, King of the Road, took off again. And he reeled out facts.
“I also drove to the 2002 edition in Mali. I enjoyed my stay in Mopti. Late Skippo, Stephen Keshi was one of the coaches and that was the last time Sunday Oliseh played for Nigeria,” Mr. Governor told me.
Mopti is like our Lokoja, confluence town. There, River Niger kisses River Bani. Bani sounds like River Benue and also reminds me of the Ibani ( Bonny) of Rivers State.
Nigeria won bronze after Cameroon and Senegal had taken gold and silver respectively. Julius Aghahowa was joint top scorer, with three goals, alongside the Indomitable Lions duo of Patrick Mboma and Salmon Olembe.
The Eagles topped Group A, that included Mali, Algeria and Liberia, with seven points from three matches without losing any game. However, when they lost to Senegal in the semi finals during overtime, Nigerians blamed Coach Shuaibu Amodu.
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Three Nigerians, Taribo West, Ifeanyi Udeze and Aghahowa, made the CAF Team of the Tournament. No other country had as many. Winners Cameroon offered two, Rigobert Song and Mboma. Runners-up, Senegal supplied Tony Silva and El Hadj Diouf.
What my countrymen did not realise was that the Teranga Lions were world class. They flashed it two years earlier when they forced the Eagles to a barren draw( regulation time) in Lagos at the 2000 Ghana/Nigeria Nations Cup.
Senegal showed stuff at the Korea/ Japan 2002 World Cup when they shocked defending champions, France in their opening game and advanced to the quarter finals. Nigeria, with a new coach, failed to move beyond the group stage.
Beyond Africa, AbdulRazaq was at the USA ’94 World Cup. He followed the France ’98 World Cup live as a fan, watching many of the games.
