How 'Kolanut boy' Chikatara shot to top of Africa
Chisom Chikatara is today one of the revelations of CHAN 2016 after he was spotted by Abia Warriors chairman Emeka Inyama strutting his stuff for an academy in Umuahia.
Therefore there wouldn’t be a better person to tell the story of Chisom Chikatara, from ‘The Kolanut boy’ to a striker of international repute than Inyama.
Inyama has now said he is fulfilled that his huge investment in youth has finally paid off and Chikatara’s break-out is ‘one big success story’ of his stint at the helm of the Umuahia-based Abia Warriors.
He begins: “Great things really have small beginnings. I am happy this boy has become what he is today. It gives me confidence to keep pushing. It makes me want to give more rookies a chance.
“Here was a boy who had never played for a professional club before. The most he was doing was some casual matches with an academy in Umuahia. And I recruited him for Warriors. I had opposition then but I insisted. I am glad he has vindicated me.”
How did it all start?
Inyama answered: “I saw him in a village match during Christmas. He was so excellent on the day, but he was so young. To say he was raw is an understatement. I took note of him.
“I wanted to take him right away into Warriors, but I still needed to see how he will fare against the professionals. I set up a friendly between his team and Warriors. He scored against my team.
“I recommended that he should be signed on, but some of the coaches told me ‘you know these kids, when they see big boys now they won’t play. When they see a big pitch and a loud crowd, they will disappear’. But I was adamant he should be enlisted in our team.
“So, there was another match between Warriors and another team and he was to play for us. He scored twice in that game. Right away, I damned everybody who felt he was too young to play for my team. I wanted to sign him that very minute.”
When Chikatara scored a hat-trick against Niger in a CHAN opening group game, he dedicated the goals to his late mother.
Inyama would throw more light on the role the mother in her boy’s career.
With his mind made up to sign-on the boy, there was the big hurdle of convincing his mother.
“You know he is a mummy’s boy. In fact, to show you how small he was then, he never did anything without his mother’s consent,” Inyama continued.
“When I told mama about my plans to recruit him for Warriors, she blatantly refused. She said he was too small to play at that level; that we should give him more time.
“Most importantly, she pointed out that the boy was the only of her children who helped to go inside the bush and harvest her kolanuts. Kolanuts was the family business.
“The mother asked me ‘if you take this boy away now, who will be harvesting my kolanuts?’ I pleaded with her and told her that when the boy flourishes, he will bring more than kolanuts into the family.
“Reluctantly, she agreed, but she shed tears in the process. It was one big emotional moment for me when she gave Chisom her blessings amid tears.”
Inyama further recounted: “So that was the origin of the nickname ‘Kolanut boy’. I gave him that nickname. After visiting his family home and seeing how entrenched the kolanut business was there, I decided to nickname him ‘Kolanut boy’.
“I rarely call him Chisom. I call him Kolanut boy. In doing this, I feel it will help him realise his roots and strive for excellence.
“I am happy he did not disappoint me. Season after season, he has got better. He is a cool-headed boy who is always willing to learn.
“Before the opening game at CHAN, I knew he will shock everybody whenever he is given the chance. I spoke with him and he told me ‘daddy, I am not the first-choice striker. They (the coaches) prefer to play me from the bench, but even if it is a minute of playing time that I get, I will show them what I can do’.”
Inyama dispelled rumours that Chikatara had been snapped up by Kano Pillars.
“During a transfer window, you can hear any type of rumour, but the fact is that Chikatara is an Abia Warriors player,” he said.
“He told me that Pillars offered him N750,000 and a car and I promised him that I will match that offer. He has not put pen on paper for any other team except Warriors.
“As I am talking to you now, I have about 15 offers on the table both from Europe and North Africa. We are analysing the offers and we will see what will be good for him and the club.
“One thing is that his development is so important to me. He calls me ‘daddy’ and I wouldn’t fail him.
“In whatever deals he is going into, I will make sure his interest is well protected. I took him away from home. His mother handed him over to me and I promised her that the boy will bring more than kolanut home.
“This was a boy who had never played football outside Umuahia before I snapped him up. Now the whole world has taken note of him.
“I am not taking credit for discovering him. He has worked with some grassroots coaches. There was one coach Uche who was his coach at the academy, before we signed him on.
“Those people no doubt honed his talent. But I thank God for using me to provide the platform for him to showcase that talent. Perhaps, he would have been languishing in obscurity now.
“Abia Warriors are his only professional club till date. We are proud to play such a part in his life. His exploits will pave the way for other budding players on the streets of Umuahia, Abia and beyond.
“I will also encourage club administrators to look inwards for home-grown talents because ‘wetin dey for Sokoto e dey for shokoto’.”
http://mtnfootball.com/news/606280/How-Kolanut-boy-Chikatara-shot-to-top-of-Africa
Chisom Chikatara is today one of the revelations of CHAN 2016 after he was spotted by Abia Warriors chairman Emeka Inyama strutting his stuff for an academy in Umuahia.
Therefore there wouldn’t be a better person to tell the story of Chisom Chikatara, from ‘The Kolanut boy’ to a striker of international repute than Inyama.
Inyama has now said he is fulfilled that his huge investment in youth has finally paid off and Chikatara’s break-out is ‘one big success story’ of his stint at the helm of the Umuahia-based Abia Warriors.
He begins: “Great things really have small beginnings. I am happy this boy has become what he is today. It gives me confidence to keep pushing. It makes me want to give more rookies a chance.
“Here was a boy who had never played for a professional club before. The most he was doing was some casual matches with an academy in Umuahia. And I recruited him for Warriors. I had opposition then but I insisted. I am glad he has vindicated me.”
How did it all start?
Inyama answered: “I saw him in a village match during Christmas. He was so excellent on the day, but he was so young. To say he was raw is an understatement. I took note of him.
“I wanted to take him right away into Warriors, but I still needed to see how he will fare against the professionals. I set up a friendly between his team and Warriors. He scored against my team.
“I recommended that he should be signed on, but some of the coaches told me ‘you know these kids, when they see big boys now they won’t play. When they see a big pitch and a loud crowd, they will disappear’. But I was adamant he should be enlisted in our team.
“So, there was another match between Warriors and another team and he was to play for us. He scored twice in that game. Right away, I damned everybody who felt he was too young to play for my team. I wanted to sign him that very minute.”
When Chikatara scored a hat-trick against Niger in a CHAN opening group game, he dedicated the goals to his late mother.
Inyama would throw more light on the role the mother in her boy’s career.
With his mind made up to sign-on the boy, there was the big hurdle of convincing his mother.
“You know he is a mummy’s boy. In fact, to show you how small he was then, he never did anything without his mother’s consent,” Inyama continued.
“When I told mama about my plans to recruit him for Warriors, she blatantly refused. She said he was too small to play at that level; that we should give him more time.
“Most importantly, she pointed out that the boy was the only of her children who helped to go inside the bush and harvest her kolanuts. Kolanuts was the family business.
“The mother asked me ‘if you take this boy away now, who will be harvesting my kolanuts?’ I pleaded with her and told her that when the boy flourishes, he will bring more than kolanuts into the family.
“Reluctantly, she agreed, but she shed tears in the process. It was one big emotional moment for me when she gave Chisom her blessings amid tears.”
Inyama further recounted: “So that was the origin of the nickname ‘Kolanut boy’. I gave him that nickname. After visiting his family home and seeing how entrenched the kolanut business was there, I decided to nickname him ‘Kolanut boy’.
“I rarely call him Chisom. I call him Kolanut boy. In doing this, I feel it will help him realise his roots and strive for excellence.
“I am happy he did not disappoint me. Season after season, he has got better. He is a cool-headed boy who is always willing to learn.
“Before the opening game at CHAN, I knew he will shock everybody whenever he is given the chance. I spoke with him and he told me ‘daddy, I am not the first-choice striker. They (the coaches) prefer to play me from the bench, but even if it is a minute of playing time that I get, I will show them what I can do’.”
Inyama dispelled rumours that Chikatara had been snapped up by Kano Pillars.
“During a transfer window, you can hear any type of rumour, but the fact is that Chikatara is an Abia Warriors player,” he said.
“He told me that Pillars offered him N750,000 and a car and I promised him that I will match that offer. He has not put pen on paper for any other team except Warriors.
“As I am talking to you now, I have about 15 offers on the table both from Europe and North Africa. We are analysing the offers and we will see what will be good for him and the club.
“One thing is that his development is so important to me. He calls me ‘daddy’ and I wouldn’t fail him.
“In whatever deals he is going into, I will make sure his interest is well protected. I took him away from home. His mother handed him over to me and I promised her that the boy will bring more than kolanut home.
“This was a boy who had never played football outside Umuahia before I snapped him up. Now the whole world has taken note of him.
“I am not taking credit for discovering him. He has worked with some grassroots coaches. There was one coach Uche who was his coach at the academy, before we signed him on.
“Those people no doubt honed his talent. But I thank God for using me to provide the platform for him to showcase that talent. Perhaps, he would have been languishing in obscurity now.
“Abia Warriors are his only professional club till date. We are proud to play such a part in his life. His exploits will pave the way for other budding players on the streets of Umuahia, Abia and beyond.
“I will also encourage club administrators to look inwards for home-grown talents because ‘wetin dey for Sokoto e dey for shokoto’.”
http://mtnfootball.com/news/606280/How-Kolanut-boy-Chikatara-shot-to-top-of-Africa
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