Rivers United coach Stanley Eguma tok to BBC Pidgin about being di longest serving Manager for Nigerian League

Wit raised arms and plenty smile for im face, di Technical Manager of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma widly celebrate im side 2-1 victory over Bendel Insurance on Friday.

Eguma wey don be di manager of Rivers United since 2016 ensure say im team become di first side to defeat Bendel Insurance for di ongoing 2022/23 Nigeria Premier Football League Season.

Victory over di Edo State club see Rivers United now in wit di chance of winning di Nigerian league for di second time in a row.

But di team wey stand in dia way of doing dat na di People's Elephant - Enyimba International FC.

Both sides dey level on eight points for di ongoing NPFL championship playoff aka NPFL Super6. Na only goal difference separate dem ahead of dia title decider on Sunday 11 June, 2023 by 18:00 GMT.

As things stand...

- Enyimba, Rivers Utd, Remo Stars in title race

- Bendel Insurance still in chase for #CAFCC

- Lobi Stars & Sunshine Stars out of title & continental contest #NPFL23ChampionshipPlayoff#NPFL23 #NPFL23Super6 pic.twitter.com/75b8RetXzN

— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) June 9, 2023

Di ex-Enyimba coach wey siddon wit BBC Pidgin for exclusive interview wia im tok about im coaching journey, express hope say Rivers united go defeat im former employers wen dem meet for di Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Sunday for Lagos.

"Well na football, we don win before now, if we never win before, I no go get confidence. But for di fact say we don be champion, na we be di reigning champion. We no go lose." A very confident Eguma tell BBC Pidgin.

'I start to coach wen I dey very young'

Di road to become a coach for Eguma bin no dey easy like many go tink.

From playing at amateur level, di Ikwerre-born native do im coaching badges for 1999 wen im attend di Nigerian Institute of Sports.

Coaching stints at Sharks, Gabros, Enyimba, Heartland soon follow wit different level of success, now e don be like say, im don dey around Nigerian football like forever.

Eguma don dey manage a Rivers State-owned for over 15 years now. First, im coach Dolphins from 2008 and afta di merging of Dolphins and Sharks FC for 2016, Eguma don remain Technical Manager ever since.

A record for a local manager for Nigerian top flight.

During im very long coaching career, e don win di FA Cup, promotion from di Pro-League wit Sharks, plus di 2021/2022 league title wit Rivers United. Im don also compete for continental competitions wit different successes.

All dis, e say na as a result of hard work and im passion for football wey lead am to coaching from a young age.

For Eguma, winning di Pro-League wit Sharks, FA Cup for Nigeria wit Dolphins as a young coach give am confidence and motivate am to take di job more serious and give am believe say e fit do more.

"Why e be like say my own dey very long na becos say I start very young. Afta my coaching education, I go into coaching and clubside football, I begin assist coaches dey get experience until di management say make I come take over." E tok.

"Wen we win, na dat time I come begin develop confidence say dis career I fit make am, so I begin dey put more attention, dey concentrate, dey learn more, dey read [notes from] some coaches, dey check out di philosophies of some coaches, big coaches wey don make am for football, I begin dey follow dia footstep."

Eguma also respond to some critics and toks say im success and long time service for Rivers United na as a result of influence from higher up. Im say e never rely on any politician or godfather but im passion and hardwork dey speak for am.

"Dis game, na hardwork, na your work dey speak for football, right from di time I see say my star dey di game, I never relent or depend on somebody." E tok.

"Wen I win FA Cup for 2001, afta dat time, I get small problem wit my team, dem comot me, do politics, say I no get experience come bring late Musa Abdullahi.

"I comot go Gabros, dat wan no money, but I go becos I wan prove point say no be becos I dey my state [Rivers].

"I go Gabros pick players for traders market Onitsha, small-small boys and I take dem go play league dat year, we get big-big clubs dat time: Enyimba, Dolphins but we lead di league dat time till di end of first half till I resign becos of poor management of players by di management till I comot go Enyimba wia we win Champions League and League for Enyimba."

Na dis successes according to Eguma make di den Commissioner for Sport for Rivers State, Alwell Onyesoh come ask am make im come back to di State come coach.

'Nigerian players dey poorly remunerated'

An average Nigerian player dey earn N500,000 per month. According to Eguma, compared to di realities of di game and wetin dey obtainable for oda places, e no dey good enough.

"For me as a coach, no mata how good you dey, if you no get a very good working environment, di job will fail you. If you get management wey understand di game and wey dey ready to put in sometin, becos to manage football funds need to dey or e no go work.

"Di players need motivation, enabling environment, pay dem dia arrears and emoluments wen due, di necessary facilities working environment and all dat.

Most of di clubs for NPFL no dey do am, some clubs never pay salary for di past three to four months, den how di players go take work?" Eguma claim.

E add say most of di players for di NPFL dey poor, dem dey very poorly remunerated compared to wetin players dey earn outside.

"Here in Rivers United, di highest a player earn is equivalent of $1000 for a month compared to a player from Yanga FC [Tanzanian club] for example wey dey earn $12,000 per month and we dey play di same league [Caf Confederation Cup].

"If a player here see dat one now, e go dey demoralised and you no go expect am to give at dat same level." E tok.

'I no wish my kidnap on my worst enemy'

For 15 June 2021, Eguma bin suffer kidnap on im way back from away match against Adamawa United wey dem play for Gombe State for northern Nigeria. Experience wey im say "e no wish am on e worst enemy".

Looking back painfully, Eguma tell BBC Pidgin say e don forget di episode as na sometin wey no good for human being to remember.

"E happun like a storm, nobody expect am. Dem come and take me wen we dey drive from Enugu to Port Harcourt. Dem carri me go, I no know wia we dey go, dem blindfold me and point me gun. Afta sometime we enta thick bush, we dey drive inside bush wia I no know wia we dey go and tell me say if I tok dem go shoot me.

"Dem cork dia gun to shoot me say dem don get anoda pesin to use for sacrifice, dem dey tok but I no dey see dem. I tell dem say I no be politician, dem see my car, na official vehicle, na goment number dey am and na Hilux so dem say I be one of di big politician.

"I tell dem say I be ordinary coach and my duty na to train young-young pipo and give dem a career. Dem no shoot me becos dem confam say I be coach. I just dey dia dey beg dem."

Eguma tok how e stay inside di thick forest through di night under heavy downpour afta di gunmen decide to spare im life.

"Dem pity me later put me inside my motor, my fear be say make all dis reptiles inside di bush no come attack me, somebody dey inside my motor wit me wit warning say if I move dem go shoot me.

"Na midnight dia oga come come dey interrogate me, dem tell me to give number for dem to call, I tell dem di truth, who I be, di clubs I don coach say I no be politician, dem tell me say dem be unknown gunmen."

Eguma say di gunmen get sympathy for am afta about three days dem release am. E say dem tell am say e be innocent pesin, e dey humble and e dey help youths na why dem dey release am.

But dat experience no stop Eguma from doing wetin im love.

For Nigerian league, most teams travel by road to away matches, some times dem dey even drive into di night to meet up.

Despite im 2021 ordeal, Eguma no see dat experience as sometin wey go make am stop to dey coach for Nigerian league as "na only God dey save pesin".

"All of us dey under threat, na only God dey save us, all dis ones we dey travel go for matches, na biggest risk outside accident...robbers too," Eguma tok.

"But every work pesin dey do risk dey, and na your profession. You no go say you go run away becos of di risk. Becos if you run, di impact you for make for di society pipo no go feel am.

"Since dat tin happun, I don win league now, if I don leave, I for no win league, for my state."