He is like to African football what Pele is to world soccer. Austin Jay Jay Okocha was, until very recently, one of the greatest soccer names in the continent. As a member of the Nigerian national soccer team and later its captain, and even in the foreign clubs, where he made name and fortune, Okocha distinguished himself as one of the most talented players of his generation.

Today, he is off the soccer field and has comfortably settled down to another phase of  his life and making a good success of it. Okocha is today a proud owner of “Jay Jay Okocha Group West Africa Ltd,” which employs not less than 250 staff. The Group is into many businesses which include operation of a bureau de change, restaurant, bar, importation of consumer goods like cars and wine, road construction, provision of security personnel and equipment.

Okocha’s company is also into property development, sales and distribution of electronics and soccer players’ management. The company which was incorporated about five years ago, went into full operation last year, shortly after the former national team player retired from active football. Okocha bade farewell to the game he loves so passionately after the valedictory match that was organised for him by the Delta State government in Warri, in June 2008, to mark his retirement from the game which he played for more than 20 years.

The former captain of the Super Eagles did not have the problem of what to do after quitting the game that brought him so much fame and fortune; he went into full time business which he has been running and supervising since then.

Today, he has a workforce of 250, with a plan to increase it to 1,500 in the next five years. There are also plans for the company to have branches in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. The business has partners from Britain and Israel and an American is expected to join the group before the end of May.

Okocha told Newswatch that he decided to set up the multi-billion Naira business as a way of contributing to the development of the nation’s economy, and to help reduce the nation’s growing army of unemployed youths. “Other people in my shoes would have invested their money in various businesses overseas, but I felt I should come back to Nigeria to give people job opportunities. This business is my own way of helping the society, but I will also be lying if I say my intention is not to make money as well. I am glad to be back home to invest,” he said.

Running the enterprise is a new and challenging phase of his life after a fulfilled football career. “After being used to life as a footballer, coming to settle at home is a little bit different. But I like the challenges that  have come with it, and I am enjoying the new phase of my  life because I knew that I would find myself in this when I stopped playing the game. I was not stranded after my soccer career because I had planned what I wanted to do after the game.”

Right from his playing days in Europe, Okocha felt that he should have a worthwhile business venture which he could also manage at the end of his soccer career. He said he always had it at the back of his mind his poor background as a child and this fuelled his desire to help others make a living. “I was not born in Government House. I was down there in the streets but I thank God that I fought my way to become whatever I am today. I made it in a legitimate way, because I recognised my talent early enough and I give God the glory for helping me to reap the reward,” he said.

The former captain of the national team is happy with the level of patronage his company is enjoying from his countrymen and women.

His night club in particular is doing well and said he was amazed at the level of patronage by people at the top echelon of the society. “The night club is doing so well and it has been for me a sign of how much Nigerians appreciate me.”

Running a venture like this has given the former Super Eagles’ player a reasonable sense of fulfillment. “I used to play under bosses but today I am the boss of my company, with my team of workers. The difference here is that while I was being provided for by other people in the past as a footballer, it is now my responsibility to take care of others, and this is quite interesting and challenging,” he said.

But it has not all been a sweet tale for Okocha. He has lost huge sums of money in the process. He lost more than one million dollars to a failed bank. That is one of the bad experiences Okocha cannot forget in a hurry.

Friday Nwankwo Kujah, his business associate and an executive director in the company, commended Okocha for not giving up on this project after his more than one million dollars was trapped in the Societe Generale Bank that folded up some years ago.

He told Newswatch that the former captain of the Nigerian soccer team was not deterred by the colossal loss he suffered as he still went on to invest in the country.

Kujah said the company has plans to employ some former footballers roaming the streets without tangible means of livelihood. The company would make them distributors of its goods and services in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. “These footballers and other businessmen will have to register with our banks, and if they are found suitable, they will be engaged as distributors.”

Some of the products being marketed by the company are wines and spirits from France and Spain. “People come here in hundreds to book for our champagne in particular, because we supply them fresh from the producers. We even have problem meeting market demands,” he said.

About 100 managers recruited by the company from the various parts of the country are undergoing training to acquire managerial skills to run the branches of the company that will be opened towards the end of the year.

Okocha’s business interest is not limited to his company alone. Recently, Oceanic Bank International unveiled him as the anchor of its “Football Talent Hunt” programme which is aimed at bringing budding players to prominence. The project would help Okocha to give back to the society that made him a success story today.  “There are many talents in Nigeria, but if they are not spotted and supported, they will go unnoticed. I am a living example, because if I was not discovered, perhaps I would still be in Enugu dribbling my friends.” He promised to make Nigeria regain its glory as the giant of African soccer with the programme.

Cecilia Ibru, chief executive officer of the bank, said Okocha, as a role model, would help shape the lives of many footballers who ordinarily would not have had the chance to get the required exposure and attention.

During his football career, Okocha was idolised by many soccer fans within Nigeria and beyond. He was highly rated and even respected by Pele, the King of soccer himself, who once described the Nigerian soccer superstar as the Maradona of African soccer.

To many football analysts, Okocha qualifies for a prominent place in the record books as one of Nigeria’s and, indeed, Africa’s greatest footballer of all time. Although he did not win the prestigious CAF African Footballer of the Year award throughout his active years in soccer, he was the runner-up on the two occasions he lost the award. That, perhaps, also attests to the fact that Okocha held his own very well and was only dealt a blow by cruel fate.

He was more than compensated for this with the honours he won globally. The Nigerian superstar was the winner of the inaugural BBC African Footballer of the Year Award in 2004 and even the successive one, thus becoming the only player to retain the award and win it more than once.

That was not all. In 2004, he was listed in FIFA as well as the Football legend in Pele’s FIFA100, which was a list of 125 greatest living players of all time. In 2007, he was voted the 12th best footballer in Africa in the past 50 years in a poll conducted by CAF to coincide with its 50th anniversary. Wikepedia, a web information service, also describes Okocha as a footballer “known for being one of the best dribblers and most skillful in the world at his prime.” He had played for some notable clubsides like Eintracht Frankfurt, Fernebahce Istanbul, PSG, Bolton Wanderers and Qatar SC.

But the immediate past captain of the Super Eagles decided to end his soccer career   at the Warri Township Stadium, in his home state, Delta. Many would have loved to see Okocha quit at a bigger stadium like the National Stadium, Abuja. But the Delta State government filled the void by honouring their illustrious son and superstar. They also named the stadium in Ogwashi-  Uku , his hometown after him.  “This is a massive honour for me. Words cannot describe how I feel and how appreciative I am about what Delta State has done for me.”

 “It is great that a stadium has been named after me when I’m still alive. It is amazing. I don’t know what to say. I can only thank God,” he enthused.

Remarkably enough, more than 20,000 fans were on hand to share with Okocha that glorious moment. A remarkable crowd defied the torrential rain to witness the star-studded game that saw a Super Eagles XI beat a World XI 2-1. Top African stars including Nwankwo Kanu, Joseph Yobo, El-Hadji Diouf and Benjani Mwaruwari all played in the game at the Warri Township stadium in Delta State. 

For Okocha, it was not an easy decision to quit the game he loved so much, and leaving many of his admirers of his sublime skill with a deep sense of loss. “It’s a day of joy considering the achievements and adoration in my football career but also one of sadness as I was leaving a game that brought me fame and fortune,”  said Okocha.

Okocha was regularly selected for the Nigeria national football team from 1993 until 2006. He was also captain of the Super Eagles when he retired from international football at the 2006 African Cup of Nations.

He played at the 1994, 1998 competitions where he was named in the official team of the tournament, and 2002 FIFA World Cup finals and many African Nations Cup tournaments. He was also a member of the Nigerian team that won the golden medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Okocha later led the Nigerian team to a third place finish at the 2004 African Nations Cup in Tunisia, with some breathtaking displays, scoring four goals, most notably the 1000th goal in  the Nations Cup history against South Africa, and winning the Player of the tournament and joint Golden Boot winner.

After failing to help Nigeria qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Okocha announced that he would retire from international scene after the Cup of Nations in Egypt. Injury prevented Okocha from featuring in any of Nigeria’s opening fixtures and he did not regain fitness until the semi final loss against Côte d’Ivoire. He then played in his final international appearance in a 2-1 victory in a third place play-off against Senegal. He was then given a standing ovation by the nearly 60,000 spectators when he left the field.

He made a return to the Super Eagles in his testimonial against an African select side in Warri. The game featured former players like Daniel Amokachi, Alloy Agu and John Fashanu, as well as current players like Benjani and Sulley Muntari. Nigeria won the game 2-1 with Okocha scoring the winning goal after appearing for the side in the second half.