They both hail from Arochukwu played for the Flying Eagles before moving up to the senior national team and their elder brothers were also good footballers. Charles Kanu chose the nickname ‘Attila’ while Nwankwo Kanu is better known as ‘Papilo’.
Charles Attila Kanu Johnson was born in Aba to Johnson and Esther Kanu. He attended Eziama High School,Aba, the school with the best soccer team in that town in the 1970s. Enyimba grabbed him after secondary education. Christian Nwankwo Kanu was born in Owerri and attended Holy Ghost College, Owerri, the top soccer school in that town in the 1970s. He played for Iwuanyanwu National [then known as Spartans, now called Heartland]. Enyimba and Spartans were founded in 1976 by the same man, Chief Jerry Enyeazu.
Attila followed the footsteps of his elder brother, Ndubuisi who began with Enyimba but ended up in Enugu Rangers. The younger Kanu, played for Enyimba and joined Lagos Rangers, African Continental Bank [ACB]. Papilo’s elder brother, Godwin, was in the Bendel United team that lost the African Winners Cup by a whisker in 1989 to El- Merriekh of Sudan.
Ndubuisi Kanu was very well known at Ibo National College [IBONACO], Aba as ‘Skido’. At the same time, Charles was the centre of attraction at St. Michael’s Primary School, Aba. Their family home stood near the stadium, on Ehi Road. Girls ran after Attila because he performed magic with the ball. They came from all over, Hospital Road, Ngwa Road and even as far away as Over Rail and Milverton Avenue, the boy was popular.
Dad sent Attilla to Enugu to stay with Skido during the Christmas break. Watching Enugu Rangers train was fascinating. That was how the school boy got to know great names like Christian Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala and Stanley Okoronkwo. Stanley who grew up in Jos was also an Aba Boy because his parents lived there. Okala’s huge frame was intimidating.
Kanu said : ” Through my brother who also played for Rangers, I got to know other players. I was close to Chukwu and Okoronkwo who would always put up smiles. I never got close to Okala. He scared the heavens out of me then.”
The young shall grow, so the saying goes. Attila would later make the senior national team. It came at a time Okala had stopped playing for the Green Eagles. However, the younger player’s early days at Enyimba coincided with the time the goalie was savouring his last years as a Flying Antelope. While Okala quit the senior national team, Kanu made his Flying Eagles debut.
Attila was a member of the Eziama High School squad that shocked the old East Central State by qualifying for the grand finale of the Secondary Schools Cup, in 1976. Their opponents were Dennis Memorial Grammar School [DMGS], Onitsha. First Republic politician, Chief Austin Ezenwa [UPGA] was Principal of DMGS and used soccer to bring back old glory.
Ezenwa was a disciplinarian and taught at St. Patrick’s College ,Asaba before the Civil War. One of his students, Col. Paul Ogbebor, was a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy [NDA] Course One which included cadets like Alison Madueke, Ishola Williams, Mamman Kontangora, Stephen Aloko and Oladipo Diya. At DMGS, the principal went for tough and muscular players.
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Eziama Boys were dwarfed by the mighty men of DMGS who had ended the reign of Holy Ghost College Owerri. The Owerii team was known for soccer having produced super stars like Patrick Ekeji, Obed Ariri, Johnny Nwadioha, Alphonsus Dike, Godwin Gbenimacho, Emma Merenini and Okey and Ndubuisi Isima.
DMGS were colourless. The Eziama Boys ran rings round them to the delight of the crowd. It was like a battle between David and Goliath. The difference was that God supported, or sorry, the god of soccer chose to back the Osha students. It ended 5-1 against Eziama High School. One player, Nwachukwu Onyekwelu, better known as ‘Igariga’ scored a hat trick.
The DMGS team had players like Nnamdi Anyafo [later christened Policeman by ace commentator Ernest Okonkwo] ,Mike Ochiagha [Ochiwar] and Innocent Obi Ekwo. On the Eziama side were Ben Akanu [Piccolo], Idika Aku [Pele], Okey Uduko, Okey Ohaka and skipper Orji Kalu. There was also a team manager who bore the same name, Orji Kalu. He is presently a senator.
Attila believes Eziama High School would have lifted the trophy if the coach who led them before the final was allowed to continue. Former Rangers captain and Lagos ’73 All Africa Games gold medalist, Dominic [Alhaji] Nwobodo, was drafted to the school to prepare the boys for the last game. From outside, it looked like a good decision. The players did not like the idea.
“Nwobodo was with us for less than one week. I still argue that we were the better team and didn’t need help at that point. We were in the finals. Very rare in soccer would you see a team in the finals changing their coach, ” Kanu said.
In 1980, Kanu was invited to the Flying Eagles camp with Chidi Opara, by Father Tiko. The boys embarked on a training tour of Brazil and Germany in preparation for the Austarlia ’81 FIFA Youth Championships. Also in that team were Adegoke Adelabu, Lukman Oshun and Idris Musa. In the qualifiers, Nigeria advanced to the third round before being knocked out 4-2 aggregate by Cameroon.
Eagles call up followed. Highlight was the President’s Cup in South Korea in 1983. The Eagles were depleted by injury that goalkeeper Best Ogedegbe had to play as a striker in one of the matches. Etta Egbe manned the posts. Nnamdi [Camel] Nwokocha flew in from the United States. Shortly after, Attila left Nigeria for further studies abroad.
He was offered scholarship by the Alabama A and M University. Attila was also outstanding in soccer and made the McDonalds All America team in 1985. From Alabama, the next move was to Western Michigan University where a post graduate degree in Economics was up for grabs. Kanu remains a home boy and in touch with his Aba Greater Tomorrow buddies like Dan Ajomiwe, Ohaka and Uduko.
Attila is a proud father of two, a boy and a girl. His daughter, Sadia, is doing well in basketball. The 21-year-old June 12 Girl, plays for Wayne State University, Michigan in the United States and will probably be a good addition to the high flying D’ Tigress.
