One of Nigeria’s best female footballers, Vera Okolo with the record of being the scorer of the only goal that secured Nigeria her first and only victory over Japan at the senior level retired from active football some years back. After her retirement, she went into coaching. After attaining her diploma from the National Institute for Sports, Okolo has followed that up with a CAF C license.
In this chat with Jacob Ajom, the former Super Falcons star spoke on a wide range of issues including her exploits in national colours, the intrigues, the seeming decline of the senior women’s national team and what can be done to arrest the drift. Read on:-
You just completed your CAF C coaching course. What was your experience like?
It was fine. Slightly different from the one we had at NIS. This is an upgraded course.
Where will this take you to?
I have, actually, been waiting for this for the past eight years, since I rounded off at NIS in 2015 and I was hoping that a year or two after, I would get my CAF C license. Unfortunately, I was stuck in Nigeria.. We keep learning, it’s a new chapter in my life and my career as a coach. As I ended my playing career and veered into coaching, this is another chapter all together as a coach.
You started from the grassroots to clubs, then to the national team. How would you summarize your experience from being a player to becoming a coach?
It wasn’t easy, although it was expected because before you get to the top, you must pass through a lot of hurdles.. From the grassroots, it wasn’t easy because in the area I grew up, there were not many girls playing football. In the beginning I started playing with boys. So, when I eventually got the opportunity to play with fellow girls, I didn’t find it difficult as such.
After emerging from the grassroots, which club did you first play for?
Remember, we didn’t have the Premier League then. Instead, we had Divisions One and Two. So I played with a division two club in the qualifiers to go to division one. The club was Fast Focus Football Club of Warri in 1999, from where we qualified for Division 0ne in 2000. In 2001 and 2002 I played with Bayelsa Queens. In 2003 I came to Delta Queens.
Before then, while still at Fast Focus FC in 2000, I was fortunate to play with an Ondo State U17 team that represented Nigeria in the U17 Umbro International Football Festival in London, although I did not take part in the qualifiers with the team. There were some players from Akure in Fast Focus who took part in the qualifiers. So when it was time for them to travel, officials from Akure came looking for them and my chairman then said there was a player in his team he would love to see included in their team. He recommended that I join them for the trip, which they obliged.
They gave me my first passport and I travelled with them. We went there and won the trophy, the next year we went again and defended the trophy successfully. The third year, money was not approved. That was the end of that story.
Was it like a state team?
It was a competition organized by the Schools Sports Federation of Nigeria . So whoever won, represented the country then.
In 2001, the national U19 team was formed, for the first time. I was part of that team. We had a trial tournament in Benue state where all the players assembled. From that tournament players were called to the national team. We took part in an African qualifier in Mali, where I scored a hat-trick, coming home for the second leg, some issues came up.
What were the issues?
There were speculations that I had a child already and as such I was not supposed to be playing in U-17 at that point. That was what took me out of that team.
But was it true?
Yeah. Of course I had a child.
In Nigeria people do have children at 15.16 or even 17. Was it actually true that you were over age?
No, I wasn’t. I was just coming into the system so I didn’t really know how it worked. I wasn’t over aged. But I took it in good faith as I wouldn’t deny my child because I wanted to play football. It’s a gift from God. I felt someone was trying to bring me down because I was still under age.
But you still played for the senior national team?
Yes I did. I started from the World Cup in USA 2003. I was part of the team but I didn’t play any of the games because I was still new in the team and we lost out in the preliminaries. Then in the 2004 Olympics and the Nations Cup I was really part of the team..
What would you remember most in your playing days in the national team?
I had some memorable moments In 2004 in Athens, I had an ankle injury in our last friendly game in Germany, ahead of the Olympics in Athens. I actually thought I was going to be out of the team. Coach Ismaila Mabo and his assistant, they so much believed in me and decided to keep me in the team – may their souls rest in peace — to see how I could be managed. They carried out tests and scanning. It was discovered I didn’t have a crack but just a shift. They invited the Super Eagles doctor, Dr Muazu. who assisted them. I never believed that I would participate in that tournament any more. But to the glory of God, I was able to play from the very first day to the last game. Our first game was against Japan where I scored the only goal that saw us beat Japan as at that time. Even when the doctor said I couldn’t play 90 minutes I found myself playing 90 minutes and still ready to play. We lost out in the quarter finals. That same 2004 we came for the Nations Cup in South Africa I had a groin injury and to the glory of God, I played till the final of that tournament where we beat Cameroon 5-0 to claim the trophy. So those were two memorable moments I would never forget in my career .
After all these experiences as a player you went into coaching, how many teams have you handled?
I have not really handled a professional team but after my NIS I was thinking I would be adopted in Delta queens because I retired from there. But that didn’t happen and I didn’t want to sit at home so I spend some time with an amateur team based in Asaba , where I give them the little I have to offer but my dream has always been to establish an academy. Owning an academy in Nigeria is not an easy thing. I have tried going to other academies also. That’s what I have been nursing for the past 9 years..
Now you are ready for any challenge as far as coaching is concerned, how would it look like if you were called to the national team to be a coach or an assistant?
If I am called, it would be a dream come true because one thing is to obtain a certificate another is to make use of your certificate effectively. So I would be very happy if I am called to any club or the national team..
How do you describe the level the Super Falcons have attained compared to your time? Would you say it has gone up, gone down or stagnated?
That is very difficult to answer. Expectations are very high but I would say what we are seeing was not what we really expected. During our time we had very few of us playing outside the shores of this country but the present day Falcons we have about 90 to 95% of them playing overseas so with that much is expected. They are scattered all over the globe and gaining more experience unlike our days when many of us played in the local leagues .I really don’t know what the problem is but I believe one day they will get it right.
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Is it a technical problem, organizational problem or the quality of playing personnel?
For a very long time I have not been speaking with them, unless there is a tournament like the last Olympics. I had the chance to speak to the second goal keeper Tochi who was my teammate in Bayelsa and also Osinachi Ohale who was my team mate in Delta. I asked them what was really going on because they were like the elders in the team, they said they didn’t really understand but I was not going into details. I would say I really don’t know the problem .
Talking about the female leagues now, do you think it is more organized now than when you used to play?
I think if you consider them playing a straight league it would cost more because I don’t think all teams would be able to honour away games. Nigeria is getting tougher by the day. You know most of them have limited funds, so if they play in a straight league it would be hard on them and they would mostly play home games which would not augur well for the league . I think it is better instead of playing 14 games you just play 7 homes and 7 away .
What do you say about Nigeria female football generally because other African countries are ahead of us. How can we reinforce our position as the number one female football nation in Africa?
Truly other nations have gone far. As it stands now we have 40 newly graduated coaches, if they are given the opportunity to handle the clubs I think it would go a long way in developing female football in the country. If we talk about other countries they are mostly handled by their ex players. I admire South Africa for recognizing and giving Ellis, one of their former players, the opportunity to be a coach. Such opportunity is supposed to be given to Nigeria ex players who have experiences as players and coaches today .
What do you have to say about Nigerian players going to play abroad ?
That is were the money is and many privileges, they can play and go to school as well. Many of us didn’t have that opportunity in Nigeria. Playing abroad gives you the privilege to do something outside of football. I had a colleague Chioma who was at Unilag then. It was difficult for her because many teams never wanted to sign her as they kept saying, if they signed her, she would go to school and concentrate. So playing at home limited a lot of us because we could not combine both academics and play football. Today all of them are playing abroad except the ones that don’t want to go to school.
How can we improve our team because the Super Falcons have lost the fear factor?
I remember when I joined the Super Falcons I met them dominating Africa. I never lost to any African nation. I was fortunate to play 2004 in South Africa and 2006 in Warri. We won both tournaments. It had always been Super Falcons but it is not so anymore. I don’t know how we can change it but like I said earlier opportunities should be given to ex players who have seen it all as players and now as coaches .
