Chief Moshood Abiola lived up to expectations as Pillar of Sports in Africa when Fan Ndubuoke became chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria(SWAN) in 1991. During homage to the multi millionaire, the journalist got a brand new official car.
It was a pleasant surprise for a few days before that August visit to Abiola’s Ikeja home, Ndubuoke could only squeeze himself into a night bus to Kaduna to win election as SWAN boss. In gifting the vehicle, Abiola humoured the name Fan.
Ndubuoke said : ” After I emerged SWAN chairman, I led executive members and sports editors to Abiola’s house. He was happy that at last there was peace amongst sports journalists. Then he asked them, ‘ are you sure this Fan will rotate’, apparently playing with my name.”
Journey to the top was not easy as Fan, with support from nowhere, squared up again such loaded contenders as Tony Akiotu and other big names from Federal parastatals. While his opponents flew to Kaduna, he traveled by road on a bus, at night.
“I had nothing but God. I couldn’t afford flight ticket to Kaduna. I did not have money to even entertain my supporters as much as I would have loved. I managed to buy small chops from Tasty Fried Chicken around the corner. Mike Ndidi made the difference for me.
“Ndidi was my middle man and before I knew it delegates from all the 19 Northern States threw their support. We were talking until 3 a.m. At the end I won. The irony was that the man who could not fly to Kaduna returned to Lagos by air,” Fan told me earlier in the week.
From the air to Abiola’s car gift, it was a new dawn. The Mitsubishi Galant from the Pillar of Sports was one of the three available in Nigeria at that particular moment. Another car, a Mercedes Benz, came from another source as Fan climbed up the ladder.
The first time Ndubuoke encountered a big man, it did not end well. In 1984, Imo State military governor, Brig. Ike Nwachukwu sacked him for going to school even after proper approval was granted by his employers, Imo Broadcasting Service ( IBS).
According to the sports journalist, ” while at IBS, the University of Lagos ran a programme in Mass Communications for workers had had spent at least five years on the job. Four of us, Ndukaku Chimezie, Chris Abiaziem, Ngozi Olehe and myself passed the exam.
“We were admitted in the 1983/84 session and IBS continued to pay our salary. When Nwachukwu came as governor, he asked us to come back to our desks or lose the job. We chose to finish our course. We were all retired. You can imagine being retired at 25.”
Fan was recalled after traditional rulers from his Mbaise group led by Eze Desmond Agugua intervened. They were proud of their son for giving communities around them adequate coverage while serving as a reporter.
Reporting, especially sports, was something natural. As a student of Enyiogugu Secondary School, Fan reported matches involving the soccer team and pasted it on the wall. A left winger and known as ‘ Triangle’, he also played for Mbutu Vipers with the duo of Chidi Nwanu and Lawrence Nwachukwu.
Fan did not begin with IBS. He worked with ministry of Lands but love for sports put him away from ‘ where the money was’. It took Director of News, Chidi Onuzo to create a new world for the rookie who was confined to sports reporting only.
IBS had a powerful team of sports commentators that included Agwu Nwogo, Sam Rose Anyaugo, Joe Nwogu, Chris Abiaziem and Ebenezer Asibigam. It was in the process that Fan was advised not wear ties by Onuzo to make field job easier.
On September 15, 1988, Fan joined Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu’s Champion Newspapers as pioneer. Sports was the face of the tabloid. And the award winning Desk headed by Paul Bassey also had Alex Tunwagun, Sam John, Emeka Inyama, Banji Ola and Emeka Obasi( my humble self).
Iwuanyanwu was known to Ndubuoke in Owerri but when the latter approached him, the publisher advised the reporter to meet Dr. Ihechukwu Madubuike. Due process won at the end and the applicant was employed as the only one with radio background.
It was quite an experience. Fan’s first trip outside Nigeria, in 1989, was botched when birds struck the aircraft in Lagos. He was on the way to Sudan to cover an African Winners Cup match between El Merreikh and Bendel United. Larry Echiejile ( now Izamoje) was also billed for that flight.
Fan said : ” I could not travel because of bird strike but I had spent part of the money on pressing family matters. I informed my office, unfortunately, I was asked to refund the money since there was no journey.”
He made it to Zambia in 1990 when Iwuanyanwu National lost to Nkana Red Devils. It was Edward Ansah’s last away international game for the Naze Millionaires. Referee Pierre Alain Moungouengi of Gabon gave Nkana victory in the 105th minute.
Fan’s first trip outside Africa was almost aborted by rumble in the stomach. Stooling and throwing up, he had to query his system.
” That week was terrible. I had stomach ulcer. I was not ready to miss my first trip to Europe. It was better I died in Europe or inside the plane. ‘Which kind trip be this?
“Managing Director, Champion Newspapers, Prince Henry Odukomaiya, had already arranged for his children to come and pick me up at Heathrow Airport, London. I was going to cover the Sheffield ’91 World Universities Games.”
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He finally landed in London. The Odukomaiyas were waiting for their guest. The man disappeared into the crowd. He was lucky to have met an elderly Yoruba man on the flight who asked for his name. The same man found him loitering at the airport and reminded him that he saw a placard with Ndubuoke boldly written.
That was how the first time Londoner went back and was taken by his guests to their apartment. Two days later he joined a train to Sheffield. There he was lucky again. An Igbo man offered him a flat for free, all three weeks. Fan invited an Ivorian colleague to join him.
After spending four more days with the Odukomaiyas, Ndubuoke flew back to Lagos. He had concluded plans to join a new Sports Weekly, National Sportslink, bankrolled by Ejikeme Nze. Two other friends, Emeka Inyama and Abia had moved to the place.
It was tough. How was he going to tell Prince Odukomaiya, the man who made England cheap for him ? Paul Bassey was on his neck urging the returnee not to move. Ndubuoke, Inyama and Abia were known as the Three Musketeers. The duo sensed betrayal.
Fan summoned courage and walked up to Odukomaiya.
“Prince Odukomaiya, God bless him. His response surprised me. He said to me, ‘ young man, listen, the second name for this job is mobility. This is time for you to move and should you wish to come back to Champion, I will take you’. That was just it,” Fan recalled.
From Sportslink, Fan continued to rotate. He was a member of NFA, served as Special Assistant to Sports minister Emeka Omeruah, joined Abuja 2003 All Africa Games as General Manager and set up Mr.Fans, a fast food chain, an idea he got from Tasty Fried Chicken.
In 2010, Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State made him General Manager, Heartland ( formerly Iwuanyanwu National). He sanitised the place and even stopped his son from making the team simply because he did not want to be accused of nepotism.
Heartland bounced back and won the FA Cup in 2010 and again in 2011. Gov. Rochas Okorocha retained him, thanks to deputy, Eze Madumere. Fan faced opposition when monthly subvention moved to 28 million naira from eight million.
On a certain day, he was standing away from the road in Owerri, waiting for a vehicle to take him to the airport when a car veered off and hit him. Five surgeries outside Nigeria, he is still working on those legs. What a way to be rewarded.