MY LOVE STORY WITH HALIMA ABUBAKARÂ -IFEANYI UDEZE

It’s been a long time, how are you doing?
We thank God for keeping us alive to see the year
2013. It is not by our power or might. To God be the glory.
What are your New Year resolutions for 2013?
I have a lot of resolutions but I prefer to keep
them close to my chest for now.
How about your targets for the year?
I have a lot of targets for 2013.That is also
personal to me. It is something I don’t want to share in public.  Action,
they say, speaks louder than words.
How do you see the ongoing African Cup of Nations
in South Africa?
It has been a great tournament with lots of
 surprises. I think it should be one of the best Nations Cup in recent
time. My prayer is that Nigeria should bring the trophy back home.
Are you still hoping that we can win the trophy
despite starting on a poor note?
I think we have a good chance of going all the way
for the trophy because we have the players who can do it for us. But that will
only be possible if the players see themselves as a united family with one mind
and one team spirit. Above all, they must raise the quality of their games.
Which of the 16 countries taking part in the
Nations Cup are you tipping for glory?
For now, I only know about my country Nigeria. I
hope and believe that God’s favour will continue to be with them. I am tipping
the Super Eagles to lift the cup.
Do you think we are missing the likes of Osaze
Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, Kalu Uche and Taye Taiwo in South Africa?
I don’t have much to say about who he picks and
who he does not pick. Stephen Keshi is the chief coach, he knows what is best for
the team. Nevertheless, I believe the presence of Obafemi Martins, Kalu Uche,
Osaze and especially Taye Taiwo would have made a lot of difference in helping
the team. Like I said earlier on, he is the chief coach and he has the final
say. If the team flies high, he takes the glory and when they fail to fly he
takes the blame too.
How would you rate Taye Taiwo and Elderson
Echiejile in the Super Eagles’ left wing back position?
It is too obvious that we are missing Taye at the
Nations Cup. Taye is a more experienced player in that position. There is no
doubt that Echiejile is a promising player but Taye is more experienced. This
is just a personal opinion.
Let’s deviate from football a bit and talk about
your life style. How do you relax?
Whenever I am in town and  less busy, I relax
at home with my family. I club with my friends once in a while but it is not an
everyday thing.
It was recently reported by an online media that
you have turned a gambler. How true is the story?
It is annoying and disrespectful for a sane human
being to have written such a malicious thing about me. Instead of people to
show concern on how I am coping with the injury I sustained in the course of
playing for Nigeria so many years ago, they are busy assassinating my
character. Is that the price to pay for serving the nation? I know those behind
the story and I will do everything within my power to make sure they are
brought to book. My friends and family felt bad about the story but I have told
them not to worry about it.
You had a career-threatening injury which you are
still battling with, what is the position of the injury now?
You can see that I am still down. It is
unfortunate that I have been jumping from one operation to another. Even if it
is not possible for me to play active football any more, I will feel happy if I
am able to at least play football for fun and enjoy myself with my friends once
in a while. I will be having my last operation in the United States very soon
and I pray God to help make it successful.
There were rumours that your injury was caused by
a spiritual attack because you rejected a chieftaincy title given to you by
your community in Orlu, Imo State. How true is this?
I don’t know what they are talking about (laughs).
It is really a funny thing. Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion. It is
a free world. Yes it’s true that I was honoured with chieftaincy titles some
couple of years ago. I took some and turned down some. For instance, I am the
Okwute na eshi mmiri of Umu Obum. My people love me so much and they can never
hurt me because I refused to take their chieftaincy title. That is not
possible. Chieftaincy title has nothing to do with my injury.
Could you still remember when you sustained the
injury?
Why not? I still remember vividly. I
sustained  the injury while I was in action for the 2006 World Cup
qualifier match between Nigeria and Angola in Kano.
You played professional football in Greece for so
many years before making your debut for Nigeria. Were you at any time
approached by the Greek football federation to play for them as it is usually
the case with some other Nigerian footballers abroad?
Yes, Greece actually approached me to play for
them in 2000 before Nigeria came calling. I chose to play for Nigeria despite
the mouth-watering offers they used to tempt me. I love my fatherland and I
cannot run away from serving my country of birth so I decided to come back home
to play for the Super Eagles.
How helpful has the Nigeria Football Federation
been since you started nursing this injury?
It is a pity that nobody has cared to show concern
towards my plight. If I had known I would have gone ahead to play for Greece
knowing that they would have taken better care of me.
You seem to be regretting playing for Nigeria?
I have no regret at all. I am just expressing my
feelings. I had wonderful memories with the Super Eagles and I am proud of
flying the green-white-green colours of Nigeria.
What are your targets in the next five years?
First and foremost, I pray for good health and
long life so I can take my young company to the next level. By the grace of
God, I am the CEO of an oil company which is gradually growing.
Prior to athe Nations Cup, Super Eagles coach,
Stephen Keshi had a disagreement with Osaze Odemwingie and as a result of that
he dropped him from his team and it led to the player lambasting Keshi on his
Twitter handle. What is your take on this?
I have not spoken with Osaze to hear his own side
of the story. But if he actually did a thing like that, it is disrespectful of
him. I hope to speak with him soon before heaping blames. It will be
 unfair to shave Osaze’s hair in his absence.
Let’s go a bit personal, so much has been said
about you having a love affair with Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar,
 we would like to know the true story?
That was a false story. I am a happily married man
with three kids. One boy and two girls so I don’t have anything to do with
Halima Abubakar. We are just friends and there is no romantic or emotional
attachment to it. Honestly, I don’t have a love affair with Halima.
It was also rumoured that you have been showering
cash and gifts on her
That is a big lie.  How can I shower her with
cash and gifts when there is nothing between us, is that not ridiculous? If I
want to buy gifts, I will buy for my mother or my wife and our three kids.
Nobody should believe such stories. They are all white lies against me.
Do you subcribe to celebs marrying themselves?
Celebrities are human beings. There is nothing
wrong with them getting married to themselves. It is a good thing. It is all
about understanding. If they understand themselves there will be no problem.
For instance, look at Joseph Yobo and his wife Adaeze. They are good role
models for people to emulate. Nobody has ever heard anything negative about
their marriage. Yobo is a fine gentle man and Adaeze is a cool-headed,
down-to-earth woman. Their marriage has so far been successful. The most
important thing in marriage is understanding. That is the key to every
successful marriage.