Monday Kanu: Our Sports Heroes In Need of Empowerment
A retired footballer who is now a Business Consultant, Monday Kanu, is sad with the sorry state of hundreds of ex internationals. In this interview with DURO IKHAZUAGBE, the former Julius Berger player offers a way out
He was part of the squad the late Coach Chris Udemezue penciled to fly Nigeria’s colours at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile in 1987. But fate played a joke on Monday Kanu. Before the list of players to make the trip to the South American nation was released, Kanu won a scholarship to study at the Howard University in Washington, USA.
That was how the former Bendel Insurance FC (1982-1985) and Julius Berger FC (1986-1987) kissed football good bye in the pursue of a university degree.
Speaking with THISDAY at the weekend, Kanu who is now a Financial Consultant recalled his days in the Nigerian league before leaving in search of the Golden Fleece in America.
“I played with Bendel Insurance between 1982 and 1985 and then for Julius Berger between 1986 and 1987. I was in camp with Flying Eagles the same time that I signed with Berger under Coach Joe Erico who passed on last month,” began Kanu with nostalgia.
He insisted it was not a hard decision for him to make between dumping football and traveling to America on scholarship to study.
“I was in camp for Chile ‘87 but my admission to Howard University coincided with it. It wasn’t a hard decision to make as to which path to follow. I left for school with a football scholarship,” the former footballer recalled.
Although he left club football in Nigeria but Kanu found himself back on the turf in the NCAA soccer, starring for his university.
“In university at Howard, I played in NCAA soccer and lost narrowly in the final of the 1988 edition to Indiana University.”
Thereafter, Kanu faced squarely his studies and came out in flying colours at the end of his studies.
But asked why he quit football altogether, Kanu, insisted that he knew that the career of a footballer was brief and didn’t want to fall into the type of situation several hundreds of former players have found themselves today.
“Our lifespan of active sports participation is at best 20 years. Add another 20 to it, which is how long it takes to break into the scene and that brings it to 40. So, at 40 years of age, we are through with sports for the most part but life is just getting started.
“Very few of our sports heroes were prepared for life after sports. Very few of us actually went beyond a high school education. Therefore, very few of us have the requisite leverage either by virtue of higher education or sustainable vocational training to transit from Sports into the business world,” observed the Howard University alumnus.
How do we then bridge this gap that has disenfranchised many of our retired sports heroes?
“To begin with, let me use this opportunity to enlighten
our sports administrators on what empowerment is not. When you beckon on a group of retired players to your home or office and at the end of the day avail them of N5,000 each plus hamper packs of like value; my friend, you have not empowered them rather you are simply helping them manage their penury. “When you consciously place them in an exigent position where they keep coming to you periodically for their basic needs, be it rent or school fees, etc., they are still in bondage, even when you meet those needs.
This is the humbling experience many of us still witness today. None of those vainglorious public displays of philanthropy by any stretch qualifies for an empowerment programme,” Kanu insisted as a matter of fact.
He describes empowerment as a set of measures designed to increase the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people.
“Those to be empowered do not come to the table empty handed. They come with some Life Skills, Education, Technical Knowhow, Ideas and where these are lacking, a functional system prepare them ahead of time. This is where the Players’ Union and football governing body have failed massively. It’s been over 30 years of buffoonery by the union without any form of progress. Perhaps, the name rebranding could make a difference, let’s watch and see. Here is the irony in this chronicle. When you live along the banks of River Niger and yet dying of thirst, how can there be hope for those in the hinterland looking up to you for water? It’s practically impossible. This describes the state of the Players’ Union with regards to those hoping for succour through them.”
The former Julius Berger player further explains the roles played by players unions and associations in saner climes
“Unions and Associations act as pressure groups for members in various ways. They go as far as influencing government policies for the benefit of their members. In other climes, they hire professional lobbyists to do their bidding. They lobby the private and public sectors even Parliamentarians for inclusiveness in matters such as Social Welfare, Projects and Capacity Building. I’ve never seen anything in the budget of Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports that was influenced by the Players Union for the benefit of members. Let’s use a Blue-collar sector as a case study. It’s no longer news as to the enormous political and economic influence the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) wields. They are quite formidable and the benefit trickles down to its members even in remote localities. We have the potential to be more powerful than the NURTW if only we can enthrone competent leadership with visions,” counsels Kanu who is desirous of more decent living for past Nigerian footballers.
As a way out of this almost hopeless situation of most ex footballers, Kanu is advocating a collaboration with the Ministry of Education. “The ministry can help mop up the high level of unemployment among coaches. We need the personnel that can articulate and sell our programmes to the Ministry. We need those with the knowhow to navigate the laws of National Assembly and see that our interest is captured as they formulate their Bills?
“About 95% of our local football clubs are owned by state governments and yet the clubs have no pension plans for the players whereas civil servants have. We need a Union sponsored orientation for young incoming players and pre-retirement programmes put in place for those on their way out. That’s one of the ways to move forward. It is a generally accepted maxim that everything rises and falls based on leadership. The case is even truer with the Players’ Union.
“After over three decades of professional football league in Nigeria, there’s no Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the league management authorities. Currently, our sports veterans have nothing to fall back on. Poverty, ill health and depression looms large amongst our people. No health care of any sort.
“So finally, there’s an urgent need for the following for our numerous encumbered sports veterans: (1) Health Insurance Policy in the form of an HMO; (2) Group Life Insurance Policy with reasonable and affordable premium and (3) Monthly Social Welfare payments.
“These are the barest minimum the sporting community owes our sports veterans,” he concluded.
In conclusion, Kanu disclosed that along with some veterans like his former teammate, Waidi Akanni, they are creating a platform to be known as Lagos Legend Club (LLC) to help put some welfare programmes in place for those in dire need.
“We are waiting to unveil a club known as Lagos Legend Club (LLC). It is the brainchild of ex international Engr. Waidi Akanni. The primary purpose of this club besides creating a platform for rapport among sports veterans is to help put welfare programmes in place as I outlined above. Hopefully, this is a harbinger of good things to come,” he concluded with optimism.