The Chairman of Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, Simon Terver Ikya, has said in an exclusive interview with VoiceSports’ Terfa Alaghga, that he didn’t work against anybody for the chairmanship of Lobi Stars FC, and that he went through hell trying to get Lobi back to the McCarthy Stadium, Makurdi. He also spoke on other issues.
Excerpts:
VoiceSports: Did you play football in your youth?
Ikya: Yes I played football in my youth but I did not go far and only stopped at the secondary school level, at the Rimi College Kaduna, in Kaduna State.
VoiceSports: But did you feature in any of the secondary school competitions at all?
Ikya: Of course I had the opportunity to be one of the players that represented Kaduna State at the”Kwara 85″, where we won the All Secondary Schools Games (ASSG) in Nigeria. But unfortunately for me, I couldn’t make the team to Finland, where we were to represent the country, because I had a knee injury. That was how my football career ended.
VoiceSports: What drove your interest into football management?
Ikya: Not only did I have a passion for football, but it is also inherent. That was why when I got the opportunity to come on board Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, as the Marketing Manager in 1999, I utilised it.
VoiceSports: How did the opportunity come?
Ikya: The then Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume was the one that brought me to the team, when the late Tersoo Luga, was Chairman of the club. Those who also formed the management team at that time were, the late Prince Simon Aondona as representative of the Deputy Governor, Mike Idoko was serving as the Team Manager, Fabian Duru and Cletus Finbar.
VoiceSports: For how long did you serve the team as Marketing Manager?
Ikya: For about two years, and I must confess that during my time as the Marketing Manager, we recorded successes in that department because I brought in the Industrial General Insurance (IGI), the biggest insurance firm in Nigeria at that time as sponsors of the team and they actually gave us the sponsorship. I also brought the Nigerian Breweries.
VoiceSports: When did you become the Team Manager of Lobi Stars FC?
Ikya: In the year 2001. This time, the late Tersoo Luga had left the team and the late Prince Simon Aondona assumed leadership of the team. Shortly after him, Wanongo Ugbema took over but he did not last for long before he left and Dominic Iorfa was appointed. I was in the team until the year 2007, before I left.
VoiceSports: Before you left, did you record any achievements as Team Manager of Lobi?
Ikya: We recorded a lot of achievements. Under the late Tersoo Luga, we played in the Champions League in 2000. In 2003 under Iorfa, we won the FA Cup and went ahead to also play in the Continent in 2004. In 2005, Lobi was runners up in the FA Cup final that was played against Enyimba FC of Aba in Port Harcourt but because the Aba based side had also won the NPFL and were to play in the Continent, Lobi eventually got the slot to play in the Confederations Cup Competition. During my first stint with the Makurdi based side, we played in three Continental Competitions.
VoiceSports: Why did you leave, even when your impact was felt in the team?
Ikya: Well, I left because of the politics that were involved. But I returned in 2016, as Head of the Marketing Department, under the Chairmanship of Mike Idoko.
VoiceSports: Who facilitated your return to Lobi this time?
Ikya: The then Governor, Samuel Ortom did but it was courtesy of Mike Idoko who pressed for it and I must give him the credit for it. While working with him, we did a couple of good things by qualifying Lobi, to play in the Champions League in 2018, after winning the 2026/27 NPFL by Force Majeure. Years later, Idoko was relieved of his appointment , paving the way for Emmanuel Tama who took over as Chairman but I still remained with the team until in 2022, when Dominic Iorfa was reappointed to head the team. Shortly after his reappointment, we were dropped.
VoiceSports: You have worked under five Chairmen in Lobi, so which of them would you say, you had a smooth working relationship with?
Ikya: All of them had their differences and for fairness without fear or favour, I worked relatively well with all of them.
VoiceSports: Is your return to Lobi this time as Chairman on a rescue mission?
Ikya: I personally wouldn’t’ call it a rescue mission because at the time I came, the team had already gone on relegation to the NNL. But one thing the Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia was more concerned with was Lobi’s return to the Premiership. And when I came, I thought it was going to be an easy task for me not knowing that the Lobi I met had ceased to be a football club and was more of a secondary school team or like one of the grassroots teams in the state.
VoiceSports: Had ceased to be a football club, how do you mean?
Ikya: I mean the whole place had been completely destroyed. There was no structure in the club anymore. That is why I said so. People keep forgetting the fact that Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, is a limited liability company, it is a professional football team. Let us also forget the fact that it is now playing in the NNL, if you take a critical look at the Nigerian football structure today, and want to count the first five biggest teams in Nigeria, Lobi will be one of them. We are meant to be bigger than most of the teams in the Premiership and because there was no structure, everything went down completely. Even at that, by the mention of the name of Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, everybody sits up and it also sends jitters down their spine. This is because they know that it is a big team and a team to beat.
VoiceSports: When you met Lobi in that state, what quickly came to your mind?
Ikya: Restructuring. To build up a structure that would live beyond me, a structure that would see the club running like a professional football outfit and not as a charity organisation. The club has now become a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), where people were not working but earning salaries. There were no departments and when I came in, I recreated the Technical Department, we beefed up the Media Department, we also created the Marketing Department and they all have their heads. These are the things that will help the club to grow. I don’t run the club in isolation and every decision I take in whichever department, I do it with its head. That is how a club is meant to be but when you have a club that is run by one man, things don’t work well.
VoiceSports: What other aspects do you also want to restructure in the team, for optimal productivity?
Ikya: To recruit the right players that would take us to the promised land and then beef up the coaching crew. In fact, the last team that we had, lacked the character and I can stand and defend my point anywhere. When someone has the character, he can achieve whatever he is doing but when you have people who do not have the character, no matter how much you try, you can’t achieve your goals. I am emphasizing much on the issue of character because in the course of playing in the just ended League season, if they had the character, they would have gained promotion to the Premiership. I believe you listened to the interview with the Coach of Doma United FC of Gombe, Najib Mabo, when he granted to one of the radio stations recently, in which he stated clearly that the major problem they had in the last League season which they eventually won, was Lobi Stars FC. That simply tells you that we have started building back a Lobi that will return to the Premiership, and for that reason, our major target would be to build a formidable team with character, with discipline and a team that is ready to work hard. Those are the things that we are looking at for.
VoiceSports: With all of this build up process, would you say Lobi’s return to the Premiership is certain?
Ikya: Very certain. I came back to Lobi, because His Excellency, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia wanted the team to regain its lost glory of playing in the Premier League. He believed in me and that was why he gave the club to me. Unfortunately, we couldn’t gain the promotion, rather, we ended up second on the log due to a lot of issues that were on ground
VoiceSports: Did you face any obstacles in your bid for this restructuring process in Lobi?
Ikya: We’ve just started the process and for now, I’ve yet to but I am bent on doing what I want to do and what I know is right. I cannot be the Chairman of Lobi now, and begin to run the club the way others did. So for now, there are no obstacles. The only challenge now is getting back to play in the Premier League, however, I know that people must say things or complain but I am focused and will remain so. The Governor has given me a task and I will make sure that I deliver for him and also leave a club that Benue people would be proud of by acknowledging that it is now a football club.
VoiceSports: Are you also saying you did not encounter any obstacles while struggling to return Lobi to the McCarthy Stadium Makurdi?
Ikya: That is a very good question, Terfa. I went through hell trying to get Lobi back to the McCarthy Stadium Makurdi. People fought against it very well because of the interest they had in certain things best known to them. In fact, when I realised that we were finding it difficult to play our League matches in Lafia, because they were basically doing everything humanly possible to make sure that they suppressed us and I couldn’t take it anymore, I quickly ran to the Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia and told him that it would be better for us to fix the McCarthy Stadium and come back to Makurdi. Without delay, he called the contractor handling the project at the McCarthy Stadium, Dr Paul Edeh, the Benue State FA Chairman to go and do a little palliative for Lobi to return to Makurdi. We waited for a very long time for him to start work but nothing was moving forward and all he did was to refill the same pit he had dug at the Stadium. I went to the Governor again and told him that time was against us and if we do not bring Lobi back to the McCarthy Stadium, it won’t work well for us. I am pretty sure that if we had remained in Lafia to the end of the League, maybe we would have really struggled to come out of the relegation zone. That was why I quickly reasoned that it was better for us to come back to the McCarthy Stadium and take our fate in our hands rather, than remain in Lafia.
VoiceSports: What was the Governor’s response to your request?
Ikya: He gave a very positive response by giving me the approval to go and make sure that I do everything humanly possible, to bring the team back to Makurdi. That was when we started work at the stadium, by building the stands and doing everything that would meet the criteria for the approval of the stadium for use.
VoiceSports: Did the contractor, Dr Edeh give you any reason, for not carrying out the work as he was asked to do?
Ikya: He did not and to be frank with you, I couldn’t guess why he didn’t want to do the work at that time. For us, we needed to come back to Makurdi, because we were playing entirely away games and when you go away matches and you don’t have that backing from your fans, it breaks you. So we needed to come back and take our fate into our hands. With God on our side, we managed to do it by bringing Lobi back to Makurdi, with the express approval of the Executive Governor of Benue State. That is a great achievement on the part of the Governor.
VoiceSports: How has it been returning Lobi to play in Makurdi, after so many years?
Ikya: It has been awesome. For the fact that fans have started watching their darling team again, they are giving us their maximum support, it is boosting the economy for both business men and women around the stadium, hoteliers are making money and we were also able to win all our home matches, it was wonderful.
VoiceSports: How far have you gone, trying to tackle all the problems Lobi was entangled with?
Ikya: To be candid, it has been very tasking because we have a lot of issues on the ground, ranging from petitions and court cases and by the grace of God, we will overcome all the problems and focus on our target of taking Lobi, back to the Premiership. I have now taken my time and assessed all the problems Lobi is faced with which I wanted to officially present them to the Governor, for him to know that we have identified where there are challenges but because of the primaries, I would give him time, and hopefully this week, I will see him because I can’t do anything on my own.
VoiceSports: What kind of a football club do you wish for Lobi Stars?
Ikya: The best club in Nigeria, the club that would have everything in place, a club that is properly structured to run as a professional football outfit, the club that has an office and would develop young talents. A club that would be able to sustain itself.
VoiceSports: Would you like to tell us what is your philosophy?
Ikya: Why not. Doing the right thing at the right time. For Lobi, let us all come together and do the right thing, in order to take the team to greater heights. I might not be here tomorrow but for now and until when we leave, we will set up a structure that will live even up to fifty years after us.
VoiceSports: How is your relationship with Lobi fans and the teeming supporters?
Ikya: I think we are very good because I’ve been open to everybody and I don’t hide anything we do in the club from them
VoiceSports: What about the detractors?
Ikya: The detractors will always be there, you can’t stop them from what they intend doing. I want you to know that it is not everybody that would like you no matter what you do. Some people may not just like you because they feel you are not meant to be where you are or maybe the person they prefer was where you are now, and was removed and they want you out of the way, to get their person back. There’s no way you can handle such people and the only thing is, you just have to let them be. For all I care, they can say anything they want but I will remain focused because I know where I am heading to. By the time we begin getting good results and also gain promotion back to the Premiership, they won’t have anything to say anymore.
VoiceSports: How would you react to the rumours that you can’t handle Lobi Stars and that you also worked against others, for the Chairmanship position?
Ikya: This is laughable because we hear such unreasonable stories everyday. I did not work against anybody for the Chairmanship of Lobi Stars FC, not even Dr Philip Nongo whom I took over from. At the time he was there as Chairman of the club, I stayed away completely. I know that at some point, I wanted to help him but he didn’t want my help so I had to stay away. For those thinking they are going to fight me are only wasting their time because I came in peace and with a pure heart so if you think you will work against me, you will rather, be working against yourself instead because the same thing you know how to do, I equally know how to do it as well and I am not also scared of anybody. The work the Governor has given me to do is just what I am focussed on and I don’t care about what people say or feel. I only want to thank God that we are back home and are going to start our next League season in Makurdi and by God’s grace, we will qualify for the Premier League next season.
VoiceSports: How optimistic are you that Lobi will gain promotion to Premiership?
Ikya: I am one hundred percent optimistic because I have faith in God, in myself and I also believe that every word that emanates from my lips is what happens. That is, power of the tongue. When I noticed we weren’t going to gain the promotion, I said ending the League in the second position will not slip us by because I believed in myself, my team, in the management, we were focused and we knew what we were doing. I keep telling people that if we set on the ground a very good Lobi, no team will beat them. I have been in football administration for twenty seven years now and I should know that.
VoiceSports: If you were a Special Adviser to the Governor on Lobi matters, what would be your advice to him on how to improve the standard of Lobi Stars?
Ikya: To Invest more money in the club because football is money. He’s been very supportive of the team and when he invests more money in the team, he will not lose. The truth is, we don’t take football as a business here but as an activity for leisure, which is not supposed to be so. The only way we can move Lobi forward is by encouraging the Governor, to invest more money in the team. On my part as Chairman, I know what to do to move the team forward because I am not here to divert funds meant for the team or rob Simon to pay Austin, but to build a name for myself and to make up for tomorrow. With this opportunity that His Excellency has given me, I want to utilise it by leaving a legacy. Everything I do in Lobi, is tied to the Governor’s vision for a workable Benue and Lobi is not an exception. We must embrace a new Lobi that must be functional and if we are able to prove to him that we can make it functional, I believe he will not hesitate to our appeal to him to invest in the team.
VoiceSports: What is your advice for the teeming supporters of Lobi Stars FC?
Ikya: They should all be patient. I know it is difficult because they are heartbroken that their darling team, Lobi did not gain promotion but we are appealing to them to understand that the condition for which we found ourselves was beyond us because we inherited the team. However, we are now going to build a team that will fight and gain promotion next season by God’s grace and a team that they will all be proud of. I did much when I was the Team Manager of Lobi, and now as the Chairman, I will want to do even much more to surpass what I did before so they should be patient with us. I want to also assure them that I will gain promotion next and if I don’t, they should hold me by my words.
