One coach that has recently carved a niche in the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, is the Technical Adviser of leaders, Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, Abdul Maikaba.
Unlike others, the present status of Wikki Tourists would have made Maikaba a regular face and voice on any media platform but the young coach de code to keg his work speaks for him.
The young coach who is in his second season with the Bauchi based NPFL side was spotted by Kadiri Ikhana some years back and has had little experience on managing clubs in the country.
In an exclusive chat with our reporter, the graduate of Physics said he's not under any pressure to win league with Wikki Tourists.
Under Pressure to Maintain Top Spot for Wikki:
This game is all about being under pressure. At every point in time, you're under pressure to achieve something, so being at the top is more difficult than coming to the top, so we know every match will not be, every team will be trying to overtake us in that position and that's why no match will be easy for us. But from our own side, we will continue to try our best, work very hard and make sure we take each match as it comes.
Target with Wikki Tourists:
If we can play 22 games with all the teams and we are on top of the log, why not finish it on top, we have started something good and we are hoping to finish it. And myself and my players we already know this time of situation will come, we have experience of being at the top last season, so its not disturbing us. We have set a target of finishing first or second in the first round. Fortunately for us, we finished first, so I told my players that, see this is target and this is what we have achieved. Remember last season, we lost a continental position by goal difference because we were not scoring goals. This time, we are the highest scoring team, and we are the least conceding team. That gives us the best goal difference in the league, and this shows clearly that we have improved in all departments, we can finish the league in that first position.
Legacy for Remember at Wikki Tourists:
Actually, what I want Bauchi people to remember me for is, before Wikki is always struggling relegation battle anytime they are in the Premiership, so when they hired me I told them our target is to finish with a continental position, they were asking me whether I'm realistic, and I told them I'm realistic, and the only thing is for them to give me the necessary support. I told them I don't need big names (players) I want to use young players to achieve this target, and they were all surprised with what we have done. I brought players from amateur league, NNL, couple with good players I met in Wikki Tourists.
Position on Established Players:
I do belong to that school of taught of packing big players in a team. For me I don't believe in that because you see, younger players are more enthusiastic to excel as professional players, so that's why you use that to achieve your own objective (as a coach) and some times, you find out that all these clubs are government clubs, sometimes, payment of bonuses and salaries may be delayed, and big players will always protest against that, but younger players will always willing to play so you can encourage him to play. That's what we are doing here and we thank God we are achieving that.
Coping with Low Profile Status:
I've stayed long in this profession, even though I'm not incline to coaching a the beginning. I'm a graduate of physics, and I've been teaching mathematics for 20 years in secondary school, but I was combining it with coaching by coaching some grassroot players. That's how people supported me and say this guy has talent and he can go places in coaching.
It was Kadiri Ikhana that spotted and drafted me to Kano Pillars feeder team without a coaching certificate and later he recommended me to handle the main Kano Pillars team. I've started this coaching job since 1997, but I've just got my coaching certificate just five years back and I'm grateful to God for what I've been doing with it.
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