LATE Moshood Abiola changed face of Nigerian football
Moshood Abiola will always be remembered as a pivotal figure in Nigerian football development.
He was one of the wealthiest men in his era, but he was also one of the most selfless people.
Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the presidential election on June 12, 1993, was one of the best things to happen to sports development in Nigeria and Africa during his lifetime.
His contribution to sports, particularly football, was incalculable and unparalleled, prompting him to fund the most flamboyant football club in the country at the time, Abiola Babes.
Abiola Babes was established in the early 1980s and was promoted to Nigeria's top flight two years later.
They quickly established themselves as the country's most glamorous club side, winning the Nigerian FA Cup in 1985 and 1987.
However, due to issues concerning football administration, Abiola was forced to disband the club.
The team returned as Concord FC after a period of hiatus but couldn’t survive for long following the death of the business mogul.
But the memories of how professionally Abiola Babes was managed still remain fresh in the hearts of some players who are alive to relive the experience.
Muda Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Best Ogedengbe, and Yisa Sofoluwe were all on the team at the time, as were Friday Ekpo, Toyin Ayinla, and Dominic Iorfa, to name a few.
Toyin Ayinla, former captain of the Abiola Babes, stated that Abiola remains a reference point in the country's sports development.
"To this day, nobody can take his place in Nigerian history, particularly in sports," Ayinla, now the coach of Gateway FC, said.
"Because his name was synonymous with success, he wanted everyone around him to be happy." During our time at the club, he treated us (his players) like royalty. We always flew away for away games. The only road trip we took was within the South West region.
“It was Abiola Babes that introduced car loans to footballers at that time and a lot of us benefitted from it. Also at that time, there were players who sustained injuries playing for the club, the man (Abiola) flew them to Germany for special treatment and didn’t collect a dime from them.
"When he disbanded the team in December 1987, most of us had just taken loans totaling N12,000 at the time, and he wrote off the debt." There were many good reasons to remember the late philanthropist."
"Not many have the heart and passion for sports like Abiola had, regardless of how wealthy they are," Ayinla said of why it is difficult for other philanthropists to emulate his gesture.
