A media aide to the Chief Whip of the Senate and former governor of Abia state, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has emphasized that his principal’s 8 years in office between 1999-2006 saw Enyimba Football Club retain the status of Nigerian champion for six years.
The media aide, Maduka Okoro, while speaking with journalists on Sunday said this achievement was in line with the promise Sen. Kalu made to the people of the State during his campaign in 1999.
He also observed that Kalu, who is the senator representing Abia North senatorial district resuscitated Enyimba FC, saying before he (Kalu) came into office, the club was in a bad shape, underlining that it was almost going down to second division when the former governor came and gave it a new life.
He said among the first steps Kalu took to bring life into the club was to bring in new players and bring back some of the good old ones who left the club as a result of frustration.
“Apart from being Nigerian champion for six years, Enyimba under him also carried the Confederation of African Football, CAF super league twice.
“The club was about winning the third time before CAF sabotaged them and stopped them from picking the cup because of its cost. They had no money to buy and that was why they undermined Kalu’s efforts” Okoro said.
He described Kalu as a regular face at the School Road league in Umuahia before he became governor, adding that the fortunes of Enyimba has depreciated since he left office as Governor.
In a recent interview monitored by IGBERE TV, Chibuzor Ozurumba, a member of the 2003/2004 Enyimba team that won CAF champions league in two successive times extolled Sen. Kalu’s contribution as reviving Enyimba when he came into office.
He added that Kalu produced the first millionaires in Nigerian football league.
“When Anyansi told me the story, I could not believe it till Orji Kalu told me in person that Ozurumba I am the one that asked Anyansi to bring you. I was very happy because every player wanted to play for Enyimba because Orji Uzor Kalu was involved.
“I can remember that signing fee at that time was N200k or N300k in many Nigerian clubs. When Orji Uzor Kalu came, he made Emeka Nwanna aka Ayaya the first football millionaire by raising signing fee to N1m and later N1.5 and it continued that way. Ayaya was the first millionaire in Nigeria premier league.
“He succeeded in bringing Emeka Ezenwa and other great players. And you remember what happened, Enyimba turned to a global team, conquering Africa, became African champion back to back, something that has never happened before”, he said.
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