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Abandoning Goose That Constantly Lays The Golden Egg

Published

6 years ago

January 6, 2020

For so many years he has been working assiduously in the background moulding generation after generation of players who have gone ahead to play for Nigeria at the U17 and U20 level as well as in the Super Eagles

He is Usman Ilerika but fondly called Haruna Ilerika because his style of play was similar to that of the former Green Eagles Legend.

Just like the great Haruna Ilerika, Usman was a star during his school days through primary,secondary and later university levels where he went ahead to play for the Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria before he was signed by NEPA FC.

Due to injury he had to cut short his footballing career to focus on coaching and the first thing he did was to lead a group of Youth corps members to the quarter final of the prestigious FA cup later rechristened Federation Cup.

After leaving NYSC to take up a job with FCT Sports Council,coach Ilerika has never abandon his love for coaching especially passing the basic rudiment of the game to young aspiring footballers.

This fondness for teaching kids made him to be appointed by former NFF president Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi to handle the first set of Under-13 players which were picked from across the six geo political zones of the country and later travelled to the United Kingdom where they participated in a youth tournament that had top clubs from England and Germany in attendance but the team did not fail to leave up to expectation as they won the tournament.

These players graduated to the under-15 where they were constantly monitored by the Sani Lulu led NFF before he left office.

This programme led to the discovery of players like Taiwo Awoniyi,Kelechi Iheanacho,Chidera Eze,Taiwo Abdurahman,John Lazarus and many others but their story would not have been interesting if the bulk of the players that were meant to be taken to the African Under 17 championship in Morocco did not fail the MRI scan so the coach in charge of the team was forced to take some of players he initially rejected on the grounds that were too small to play for under 17 team.

The bulk of these players later formed the fulcrum of the team that won the FIFA World Cup in 2013 and Africa Under 20 Championships in 2015.

Unfortunately, the Nigeria football federation has failed to recognise the effort of this great man who has continued to work in the background despite producing some of the players who have gone to play for the national teams,rather the national under 17 job has continually been given to people who know next to nothing about youth football while the man who keeps nurturing them has been left in the doldrum.

In 2014, he took the Nigeria under 15 team to African youth games in Botswana where he won gold in football and in 2018 in Algeria he won silver despite the shoddy preparation.

Recently he took the Under-15 team to a tournament in Japan where they met teams that later participated at the under 17 world cup in Brazil and the teams did not do badly and even efforts were made by the Technical Department of NFF to give opportunities to some of the players who just came from the youth tournament in Japan but it was rebuffed by the same technical team which initially rejected the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho,Taiwo Awoniyi ,Chidera Eze and many more even when some of the players in camp failed MRI tests.

The question now is will NFF listen to the voice of reason and do the needful by allowing Usman Ilerika led U15 technical crew to take charge of the next U17 team and allow the under 15 boys that went to Japan to be promoted to the national under 17 team to ensure continuity?

The ball is in NFF court or like a dog that wants to get lost will they make the same mistake they made in the past by abandoning the goose that lays the golden eggs and give the job to their cronies?

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Featured

Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles

Published

4 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.

Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.

What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.

Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.

In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.

Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.

“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”

She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”

The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.

Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”

For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”

Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”

Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.

Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.

Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.

With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.

Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.

“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.

He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.

“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”

Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.

“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”

He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”

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