Emeka James' admission to St Paul's Catholic Primary School in Apapa Road did not give him much opportunity to display his sports talent but this did not deter him from inter-streets competition within his area. On getting to St Finbarr's College in 1975, however, he found the opportunity to showcase his football artistry, and eventually made the school's senior football team. But his small stature denied him the opportunity to play in the final of the Lagos Principal's Cup against CMS Grammar School in 1976. James was well revered by the school management for his excellent performance both in class and on the pitch. That same year, he also got a call-up to the Lagos State Academicals alongside Henry Nwosu and Nathaniel Ogedegbe, whose diminutive physic equally denied first team shirts. Under coach Kashimawo Laloko, St Finbarr's was a formidable team with an array of stars and after his departure in 1978, the school won the Principal's Cup while James went on to become the captain in 1979, the year the school lost the final of the Principal's Cup to St. Gregory's College in controversial circumstances. Even while in school, James was playing for clubsides, though that did not stop him pursuing his dream of becoming an engineer. He later had his Higher National Diploma (HND) in Civil Engineering at the Yaba College of Technology and afterwards proceeded to the University of Lagos for same course before moving to the United States (U.S.). The U.S.-based licensed engineer toldOLALEKAN OKUSAN that he never allowed his love for sports to derail his pursuit of education.FOR James, growing up in Lagos was an opportunity to do his favourite sport ' football, which he considers secondary only to education - and in it he became a star among his contemporaries while at St Finbarr's College. From his second year at St Finbarr's, he featured for the school in the Lagos Principal's Cup and scored the only goal that gave the school victory over St. Gregory's College in the 1978 final.Till date, however, James, who captained his team, is yet to get over their controversial loss to the same St. Gregory's College in the next final in 1979. Recalling how his romance with football started, James said: 'I am an indigene of Ugbaku in Owerri, Imo State, but I grew up in the Surulere area of Lagos State.'I started my elementary education at St. Paul's Catholic School on Apapa Road, but there we never had the opportunity to take part in sports because in those days we used to attend morning and afternoon classes. I was in the afternoon class with Paul Okoku, Patrick Obitor and Amaechi Nwogu. There was no much excitement playing soccer in the school, except that I played a lot of youth competitions all over Lagos with the popular rubber ball, Felele.'I played for youth teams like Olumoh Babes in Mushin, Animashaun Babes and Baba Shooting Stars Boys. Then we were playing barefooted, as there was no boot. I was blessed with raw talent and there was nobody to actually bring out the best in me. But the turnaround came when Greater Tomorrow was formed in 1975 when many young kids living around Surulere came for screening at the National Stadium and the best were selected to form the future Nigerian soccer players. I was selected.'The programme was being run by coach Rocky from Yugoslavia, who started teaching us the basics of soccer. Then we did not know how to play with boot, the coach introduced it to us. We had two groups based on our ages and trained at different days. Among my team-mates were Henry Nwosu, Franklin Howard, Edema Benson, Fryo, Mosses Ebong, Raymond King and the late Obey Adedeji.'The likes of Stephen Keshi and Paul Okoku were in the second age-group with the likes of Sunday Joseph, Denis Echefu and Jones Harbor. Some years later, the two groups were merged to form a team.'In his first year at St Finbarr's, James was very serious with his studies, avoiding anything that could truncate his dream of becoming an engineer. Nevertheless, he could not resist the temptation of romancing the round leather game, so he played football after class. Like the gold fish with no hiding place, his talent singled him out and he was called up to the school team in his second year alongside Nwosu and Nathaniel Ogedegbe.Somehow, what he had in talent did not match his physic and the later robbed him of first team shirt in the team. Therefore, he was on the bench when Finbarr's lost the final of the famous Lagos Principal's Cup to CMS Grammar School in 1976. He explained: 'At St. Finbarr's College, I started playing in the Principal's Cup when I was in form two in 1976 with Nwosu and Ogedegbe.'We were very small in stature but outplayed the big boys in the team. Our challenge then was to make the first 11 because of our size, under coach Jide Johnson. Unfortunately, we lost to CMS Grammar School in the final of the 1976 Principal's Cup edition. Also, that same year I was invited to the Lagos State Academicals camp, but did not make the start-up team.'The following year (1977), with the arrival of coach Kashimawo Laloko from Maryland Comprehensive High School, this really brought out the great potentials in us that took us to the next level. But our deficiency then was not being consistent in the game after the competition was over.'That year, we lost in the finals to CMS Grammar School and immediately after the competition, Laloko recruited myself, Nwosu, Obe Adedeji and Napoleon Idiabo into a division four team called BHojson's. The idea was for us to be consistent with the game. That same year, I was invited to the Lagos State Academicals in preparation for the 1977 second National Sports Festival in Kaduna and I made the first team with Nwosu.'However, Laloko's exit brought good tidings to St Finbarr's, which had become formidable with players like Jones Inseyo, Stephen Keshi, Amaechi Nwogu, James Gorimapka, Wakilu Oyenuga, Ogedegbe, Nwosu and Adedeji. The team was unbeatable and its effort was rewarded when James netted the lone goal that earned them victory in the 1978 Principal's Cup against their former conqueror, St. Gregory's.'In 1978, with the departure to St Gregory's College of coach Laloko, who helped to strengthen the school, and the arrival of coach Malagu, St. Finbarr's College was ready to beat any school in the country with quality players like Jones Inseyo, Stephen Keshi, Amaechi Nwogu, Wakilu Oyenuga, Nathaniel Ogedegbe, Henry Nwosu and Obe Adedeji and that year we won the Principal's Cup,' he said.For winning the title, St Finbarr's was selected to represent Lagos State in a national competition to pick the best legs to represent Nigeria in an international school tourney in Argentina. He recalled: 'Before lifting the Principal's Cup trophy in 1978, we looked so desperate to have a rematch with CMS but it never happened because they were defeated by Baptist Academy in the knockout stage. But we were able to beat Baptist Academy in the quarter-finals to win the trophy.'That same year, we represented Lagos State in a national competition to select the best school that will represent Nigeria in an international secondary school soccer championship in Argentina. But we lost in the second round to an underrated school from Ogun State, May Flower College in Ikene, in penalty shootout.'I will say this was my saddest day as a student because we never expected to lose to such team. For us, we had thought it would be a walkover but we were dazed when we lost in the penalty shootout to the chagrin of our teeming fans.'Apart from his dexterity on the pitch, James was an excellent student in class and commanded respect among his peers. Even the school principal and the teachers recognised his talents on and off the pitch. For his contribution to the school team and his exemplary conduct in school, James was handed the team's captaincy in his final year. But up till date, he still believes their 1979 loss to St. Gregory's in the final of the Principal's Cup was controversial.He said: 'In my final year at St Finbarr's, I was named the captain of the school team and we lost the final of the 1979 Principal's Cup controversially to St. Gregory's College and I still stand by it till this day. My father, who was a former footballer with the Police Machine team in the 1950s, played alongside great players like Baby Anieke, who I remember very well was the last coach at Greater Tomorrow before we were integrated into the first set of Junior Eagles.'He always told me that no matter how much you play this game or how much people love you in the field of play, you have to back it up with good education. I kept this in mind and that was why at Finbarr's, I was highly regarded by the students and the teachers; even my principal was also proud of me because I was academically sound as well as being a very good soccer player.'On his sojourn with the national team, he said: 'In 1978/79, when FIFA brought up the idea of the U-20 World Cup, most of us in the Greater Tomorrow team were drafted into the junior Eagles with players from other states to make up the national team. We had players like Humphrey Edobor and Bright Omokaro from Edo State, as well as Silvanus Okpala from Anambra State.'The bulk of the team came from Greater Tomorrow but my stay in the junior national team was very short. I realised that if I will have to devote a lot of time for the game, this means I have to travel with the team all over the country in preparation for games. But I knew that this was going to compromise some of my principles, which included playing soccer in Lagos only.'Then I was in my final year in secondary school, which means I would miss classes for months. That was how I excused myself from the junior national team and concentrated on my studies. I was with the team just for two months and while I was there, coach Willie Bazuaye was trying to recruit young players for New Nigeria Bank FC. I was approached with an offer to join the team, but I declined. My other colleagues like Nwosu, Keshi, Franklin Howard and Sunday Benson joined the team.'Among the teams James played for as a student were Luthcol, under coach Mike Malagu, National Bank FC under coach Dan Ajibode, and Julius Berger, tutored by Gothlieb Gola. He was also part of the Julius Berger team that won the 1982 Super League to qualify for a place in the third division national league.Football made James to socialize with people from various parts of the country regardless of their religious inclination. He explained: 'Playing soccer at an early stage made me able to interact with people from different backgrounds, languages, religions and ethnicities and get along with those who might not agree with my way of life.'But the bottom line is winning, and that is what the game is all about. What I hate most is when players form different groups fend off players who do not share the same ideology with them, and I think this is unhealthy.'James blamed the decline in school sports on lack of vision, poor managers, bureaucracy as well as poor leadership: 'In Lagos, for instance, after the take-over of all secondary schools by the state government, schools do not have the money to run sports anymore and the state cared less.'There are no two ways about it, parents should encourage their children to participate in sports, it does not matter the sport they choose. They should try and excel in whatever chosen sport and at the same time realize the importance of education. Sports backed with education will open door for you into places unimaginable.'In any case, James will remain grateful to his principal at St Finbarr's, Mr. Kpotie, for believing in him, as well as coach Laloko, for helping to sharpen his football talent. After his secondary education in 1979, he attended King's College for Higher School Certificate.After his HND in Civil Engineering in 1985, between 1986 and 1988, he was at the University of Lagos for a B.Sc. Civil Engineering. When he left Nigeria in 1994, he went to City University of New York for his M.Sc. in Structural Engineering. Today, he is a registered member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
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