Chief Moshood Abiola was not called Pillar of Sports in Africa for nothing. The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land was everywhere all over the world trying to enjoy himself and make people happy.
At a time he owned or co -owned half a dozen soccer clubs. There was ITT Lagos, which threw up national goalie, Aloy Agu and multiple swimming gold medalist, Godwin Emefuna [Goody Goody]. In Abeokuta, there were Concord and Abiola Babes. His wife Simbiat set up Kakanfo Queens and Simbiat Babes.
In 1984, Abiola Babes earned promotion to the National League division one. A year later, the team won the Challenge Cup. And from 1985 to 1987, there were two trophies and two silver medals to flaunt. Twice, continental exposure beckoned.
Abiola Babes went international in 1986 when they represented Nigeria in the Africa Winners Cup. In the very first game, against Dragons of Benin Republic, the Abeokuta side lost 2-0 at away. It was an interesting encounter. Two Nigerians, Peter Rufai and Uwakwe Eke, played for the Beninois.
Rufai was exposed, having lost the Africa Winners Cup finals in 1981 playing for Stationery Stores, against Union Douala of Cameroun.Eke was a member of Spartans, Owerri and made the Boys Secondary School, Nkwerre team that represented Nigeria at the International Schools Sports Federation [ISSF] tournament, Sweden ’81.
In the second leg, tension was so high that the game was declared inconclusive. The duo of Rufai and Eke played like professionals and were not going to allow sentiments guide them. CAF disqualified both teams. Abiola’s offence was crowd trouble. Dragons fielded two players who were not properly registered.
That experience saddened Chief Abiola. Fortunately, in 1987, the team qualified for the same competition for the second time. And in the first round, their opponents, Sony Ela Nguema, of Equatorial Guinea were disqualified. The second leg against ,Ivorians, ASEC, was tough but penalties were enough to book a quarter finals ticket.
In the quarter finals, Abiola Babes flew to Zambia to confront Nchanga Rangers of Chingola. Chingola is in the Copperbelt Region. That’s the power house of Zambian football: Green Buffaloes, Nkana Red Devils, Power Dynamos and Konkola Blades among others.
The flight arrangement did not work out fine. The Nigerians arrived Lusaka and were going to miss the match. Abiola would have none of that. He hired a bus and because he did not want to take chances, the man actually drove from Lusaka to Chingola, a distance of 410.3 kilometres. It could take about six hours to make that trip. MKO did it and his team hit the 15,000 capacity Chingola Stadium.
It turned out fine. The match ended 1-1. Nchanga Rangers are also called ‘Brave’. They saw their match in Chief Abiola. Everyone marveled at this man with deep pocket who chose to turn bus driver in a distant land. Vintage Abiola. He was more interested in winning the cup than acting big.
If Abiola could arrange a British Airways flight from Lusaka to Kitwe and journeyed by road to Chingola in over an hour, he would have done it. Time was not on the side of the team. Hit the road, they did. MKO drove all through the night.
Abiola Babes qualified for the semis but were knocked out by Esperance of Tunisia. MKO was devastated. It was like the players were not as brave as the club owner. Esperance faced Gor Mahia, Kenya in the finals. The East Africans had eliminated Dragons in the semis and went ahead to become the first East African side to win a continental soccer trophy.
Chief Abiola was in a bad mood. Leventis United had been knocked out of the CAF Champions’ League by El Hilal of Sudan. There was nothing for Nigeria. Abiola Babes won the Challenge Cup at home but that was not enough. The man disbanded the team at the end of the season.
However, Abiola was not done with soccer. He continued to change the face of African football. In 1992, he donated a trophy, the CAF Cup. The presentation ceremony in Dakar, Senegal was a display of Yoruba culture. Abiola flew traditional dancers to the Senegalese capital. Their ‘agidigbo’ animated the CAF General Assembly.
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The first CAF Cup was won by a Nigerian team, Shooting Stars of Ibadan. The Oluyole Warriors defeated Nakivubo Villa of Uganda in the finals. It is good to know that Abiola was treated like a king in Uganda. It is believed he helped President Yoweri Museveni to ascend the throne.
Unfortunately, Abiola could not travel to Kampala for the first leg which ended goalless. He was bereaved and mourning his first wife, Simbiat.
Footballers benefited from Abiola’s generosity. Some got cars, many got money, others enjoyed fat pay. Edward Ansah, was goalkeeper of the Leventis, Ibadan team that beat Abiola Babes in two Challenge Cup grand finale. He did not get to meet Abiola in Nigeria.
Ansah was received by Abiola in Dakar, during the Senegal ’92, Nations Cup. The Black Stars, with Ansah in goal, had beaten the Eagles in the semi finals. Abiola made Ansah smile.
Sportswriters were all over him as their Pillar of Sports. He settled the rift between Fan Ndubuoke of Champion newspapers and Lat Ogunmade, who worked for Abiola’s Concord newspapers. Both fought over the leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria [SWAN].
Abiola donated a brand new Mitsubishi Galant to Fan as the authentic President of SWAN. Trust MKO, before he handed over the keys to Ndubuoke, he turned to humour. ” Can this fan rotate?” Abiola asked, playing with the name Fan Ndubuoke.