Tajudeen ‘Ghaddaffi’ Disu

TAJUDEEN DISU was a prominent member of the great YSFON team that brought glory to Nigeria, winning youth competitions from Sweden to Denmark to the USA, in the early 1980s. He was also an integral part of the first Flying Eagles team to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Mexico.

‘Ghaddaffi’, as he was fondly called, was in the silver-winning Green Eagles at AFCON ’84 as well as a stalwart of the great Abiola Babes that reached four straight FA Cup finals between 1984 and 1987…

He was a ruthless, hard-tackling defender in his hey-days. Tall, imposing and commanding, he was the master of all that he surveyed. A striker’s nightmare, he was the kind of player you want to follow into battle. He was, and still is, Tajudeen Disu, a giant of a man.

Born into a soccer-mad family, there were no prizes for guessing that the young Tajudeen was going to play football professionally although he could have ended up playing basketball. At over six feet in height, he would be a natural on the basketball court.

Taju Disu was born on December 27, 1965 in the popular Ebute Metta area. A natural leader, he led his mates on the streets as they kicked improvised football – actually pieces of clothes stuffed together in a tight bind – around the neighbourhood. At Anwar-ud-Deen Primary School, Lawanson in Lagos and St. Leo’s College, Abeokuta as well as St. Timothy College, Yaba, Lagos, he was a member of the schools’ football set up, having shown a keen appreciation and talent for the game.

By the time he got to the famous Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos for his Higher School Certificate, everyone knew the young lad was destined for greater things as he not only walked into the school’s star-studded football team but was also made the captain. He was to lead the team to many a famous victory in the Principal’s Cup and other competitions.

Still in secondary school, Taju teamed up with Sugar Babes, owned and managed by a certain Mr Christopher Abisuga. The team trained at the UAC ground (now Teslim Balogun Stadium) and had players such has Paul Okoku, Azuka Habor, Femi Olukanni, Segun Olukanni, Femi Olufojude, Alphonsus Akhahon, Patrick Udoh, Samson Siasia, Matthias Enebeli, Fuad Oki, Tajudeen Ajide, Patrick Udoh, Bremner Alada, Steven Keshi, and John Itohan among other talented cast of young but very talented footballers. Members of the Sugar Babes were later going to become the foundation members of the Flying Eagles team which qualified Nigeria for its first FIFA World Cup appearance at any level in 1983.

Even as a schoolboy international, Taju had garnered so much experience representing the country in various youth competitions around the world. As captain, he led the Lagos State Academicals to the National Sports Festival in 1981 and got invited to the Flying Eagles that year on the back of his performances. Some of his Sugar Babes teammates were in the Lagos team and also part of the YSFON team that represented Nigeria in competitions in Sweden, United States of America, Denmark, Brazil, and Norway. The team won both the Dallas Cup in America as well as the Gothia Cup in Sweden in 1982.

By the beginning of 1982 he moved to the National Bank FC and became an integral part of the Flying Eagles team trying to make it to the next FIFA U-20 World Cup billed for Mexico after the previous team had fallen short in the final qualifying stage. Because that team came so close, and because his own set had self-belief and incredible talent, they never doubted that they would make it to the World Cup.

Disu in a warm handshake with President Shehu Shagari before the Flying Eagles Tessema Cup second leg final match

Disu recalls: “Probably because the fulcrum of the team had been together for so long and because we had come to know each other’s strength so well, we approached the qualifiers with gusto and never thought we wouldn’t qualify. Not for once did we have a shred of doubt about our chances.

“Our first game was away in Libreville against Gabon and we won 1-0 (Samson Siasia was our goalscorer). In the return leg in Lagos, we defeated them 2-0 (with goals from Tarila Okoronwata and Chibuzor Ehilegbu) for a 3-0 aggregate win. In the second stage, we played against Zimbabwe and beat them 3-1 (with goals from Paul Okoku, Humphrey Edobor and Segun Olukanni) in Lagos but lost 1-0 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe for a 3-2 aggregate win.

“The match in Zimbabwe was significant because we played with 10 men for the better part of the game after Chibuzor Ehilegbu was sent off in the first half. Up next was the game against Guinea and we lost the first leg away in Conakry 2-1 (Femi Olukanni scored for us) but bounced back to win the second leg 2-0 (Tarila Okoronwata and Humphrey Edobor scored) at home, thereby winning 3-2 on aggregate.

“That victory over Guinea meant we had qualified for the World Cup but we still needed to play Ivory Coast to determine the African champions. We drew 2-2 (Samson Siasia and Dehinde Akinlotan got our goals) away in Abidjan and we knew we were on course for a first Tessema Cup win in Nigeria’s history.

“The second and final leg came with a lot of drama. At the pre-match meeting, it was discovered that both teams had planned to wear green shirts for the game so we, as the home team, had to change to something else. Team officials scrambled around and were able to get a red set of jerseys for us to wear. It was a needless distraction but it did not stop us from walloping the Ivoriens 2-0 (Tarila Okorowanta and Humphrey Edobor scored) to emerge African champions.”

With the World Cup ticket in the bag, next task was to prepare adequately well for the competition. However, the preparations were far from desirable as the team was camped in a non-descript hotel in Maryland, Lagos called K.C Hotel with erratic power supply among several other inconveniences. Things later improved after the Flying Eagles travelled out and played some friendly games in Canada, Colombia and Venezuela en-route Mexico.

At the World Cup proper, there was a reported ruckus in the team’s camp which led to players’ unrest and a player like Tarila Okorowanta was fingered as being rebellious and not submissive to the coaches’ authority but Disu will be quick to come to his teammate’s defence.

“Let me set the records straight here, even though we have said it several times and many people, especially those at the helms of affairs in the NFA at the time know the true story, I will say it once again here. Tarila was not disobedient. He just stood up for the team.

“Yea, he was outspoken but when did standing up for your right constitute disobedience? What really happened was that the team secretary/team manager, a certain Mr Yinka Okeowo was responsible for all what happened at the time. He was in charge of our allowances, kits and our general welfare. Before we left Nigeria we were not given any new training kits but we were told that all our equipment had been procured and would be given to us in Colombia or Venezuela during our playing tours before we get to Mexico but we didn’t get anything.

“When we got to Mexico we were again told that we would get them before our first match against USSR but, again, we did not get them. We won the match 1-0 and it was after the game that we heard the story that our kits had arrived so Coach Christopher Udemezue asked our captain, the late Ali Jeje to go and collect on the team’s behalf from the manager.

“When he got to Okeowo’s room, the manager refused to release the boots and training jerseys. He said he will only give out the kits after our next game which was against Brazil. We argued back and forth, wasting precious time when we should have been travelling to Monterrey to face Brazil. Mr Okeowo’s attitude infuriated all of us and some of the players, including Tarila, confronted him and demanded for the release of the boots and the other equipment or else they’ll not travel for the game.

Tarila Okorowanta: Not guilty as charged at Mexico ’83

“Okeowo stood his ground that he was not going to release the boots so some of us and the coaches had to talk to the protesting players. We appealed to them to drop the issue in other for us to face the task of playing the almighty Brazil. They eventually agreed and we finally left for Monterey but the team in general was demoralized before the game and it was not a surprise that the Brazilians raced into a three-goal lead in the first half.

“I’m not saying that they didn’t deserve their goals but we knew we were better than our first half performance and result suggested. We came back in the second half and put our acts together and though we didn’t reduce the tally, we gave a better account of ourselves. Don’t forget this was a Brazil team which had players like Bebeto, Dunga and others on the roster.

“So let the whole world judge who was at fault between Tarila and the other players who joined him in showing their anger and displeasure or the so-called team-manager who demoralized the players by not giving them the tools to work with?”

The team drew the final game 0-0 against Holland and was narrowly eliminated by the Dutch which had a better goal difference thus ending the nation’s maiden appearance at the world stage.

Back home, Tajudeen Disu’s profile had outgrown the National Bank and it was just a matter of time before greater things beckoned. That time was not long in coming as the proprietor of Leventis United of Ibadan, Mr John Mastourodes, made overtures to him and four other members of the Flying Eagles team (Paul Okoku, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Segun and Femi Olukanni) to join his team.

He went down to Ibadan to join Leventis but he was to stay for only one year before crossing to his home state team, Abiola Babes which was owned by billionaire businessman Chief MKO Abiola.

“After just one season with Leventis, Chief MKO Abiola invited some of us through his coach, Isiaka Yakubu who was the assistant coach of the Flying Eagles at Mexico, and I was only too pleased to join them. I saw the move as an opportunity to serve my state and I have never for once regretted going to Abiola Babes FC.”

In between his transfer from National Bank to Leventis on his return from the World Cup in Mexico, Taju was invited to the senior national team, the Green Eagles, alongside some of his Flying Eagles teammates.

His senior debut was 1-0 victory against Liberia in Monrovia with Clement Temile getting the lone goal. He made the cut for the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and was in the team that lost the final to Cameroun. His promising national team however was to be cut short by the lure of his academic pursuit to the United States.

At Abiola Babes, Taju became an instant hit and a fans’ favourite. The supporters nicknamed him ‘Ghaddafi’, for his imposing height and no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners approach on the field of play while ace radio commentator Ernest Okonkwo gave him the sobriquet ‘Indispensable’ as a measure of his ruggedness and influence in the teams he played for.

He was a part of that great Abiola Babes side that played in four straight FA Cup finals, winning two in the process. In the 1985 final against B.C.C Lions of Gboko, the game was in a stalemate during the penalty shoot-out and it was Taju, with the last penalty kick of the game, who won it 5-4 for his team.

Taju regards the time spent in Abiola Babes as some of the best of his professional career as well as his personal life. He makes no pretense of the fact that he had a special bond with MKO Abiola who took him, as well as others, as his adopted son.

“Chief Abiola was my mentor and I can say he made me what I am today. Without him and his influence, I won’t be talking to you like this. He gave me the chance to get a higher education anywhere I chose in the whole world. I decided to go to the United States, he gave me a full scholarship. He gave me a letter to a bank in New York, directing them to pay me a certain amount every year for four years for my education.

“During the occasions of my wedding and my father’s burial, he was present with his wife Alhaja Simbiat and contributed substantially to both events. Through him, I had the chance to relocate my family to the United States which I consider as a second home for me and my family. You don’t forget such a person in a thousand lifetimes.”

With the scholarship from Abiola in his pocket, Disu was able to attend the Alabama A&M University, Huntsville Alabama where he studied Agricultural Economics for his first degree and Sports Management for his Masters. . He played soccer for the school and was awarded another 4-year athletics scholarship by the University because of his football prowess.

So the money paid down by Chief Abiola was transferred to his account. With the money, he was able to buy a house and he relocated his wife and one year old daughter to America.

He played varsity football all through his school days and, upon graduation, was drafted by Boston Bolts FC, a professional football team in America. He was to play for the Bolts for four years and another two seasons with the New England Revolutions before calling time on his career.

Given his deep knowledge and technical depth, one would have expected Taju to take up coaching job after obtaining his coaching licence in the US but he would not touch the coaching profession with a long pole.

​“It’s true that I have a coaching licence obtained in the USA but I can never be a professional football coach in Nigeria or Africa because our coaches are not given their due respect, not given the free hand to operate and are often rubbished by those who lack half their intellect. Coaching is a no-no for me.”