The Technical Adviser of Doma United FC of Gombe, Najib Mabo in an interview with VoiceSports’ Terfa Alaghga in Makurdi, Benue State, said his dream was to coach the Nigeria Professional Football League side and Nigeria’s National Team in future. He also said he was very excited that he took Doma United FC to defeat his home team, Mighty Jets FC in Jos because he wanted to protect his job and integrity.
Excerpts:
VoiceSports: When did you start playing football?
Najib: I started playing street football at the age of seven in Jos, Plateau State of Nigeria, where I was born and bred. I also played for my school in the All Secondary Schools Games.
VoiceSports: Which club side, did you begin Playing football for?
Najib: I began playing for the Tin City Stars Academy under my father, Coach Ismaila Mabo of blessed memory. The Academy later evolved into Josfa FC of Jos, which played in the State Challenge Cup and the Super League under my Captainship. I also played for our family club, Mabo Young Stars at the youth level. Both the Josfa and Mabo Young Stars were owned by our family, an initiative of my father. Later, some of us moved to the Mighty Jets FC of Jos and played under the tutorship of Coach Tony Ogaranduku who saw us as too young to play for the team. We continued training with them and after sometime, I left for further studies. Shortly after my elder brother, Jamilo Mabo who was the Assistant Coach of the Mighty Jets FC of Jos passed on, my father sent me to the National Institute or Sports (NIS) Lagos, in 2017, for a Nine-Month Advanced Coaching Course. Upon return, I was appointed the Assistant Coach of the Mighty Jets FC of Jos Feeder Team, playing in the National League One (NLO). Two years later, I was promoted to the main team, Mighty Jets FC as the Assistant Coach.
VoiceSports: Was it your idea or that of your father to go for a coaching course?
Najib: My father’s. In fact, before he sent me for the coaching course, I had already been coaching grassroots teams, like the Josfa, Mabo Young Stars and other clubs in the town, playing in competitions and emerging victorious in almost all the grassroots competitions. Journalists were writing about my prowess in coaching and people began advising my father to send me for a coaching course to develop my skills because they saw the potential in me. He believed that truly, I had the passion for coaching and he decided to send me for a coaching course.
VoiceSports: Which team did you first coach after your graduation from the NIS?
Najib: I started with the Mighty Jets FC of Jos Feeder Team, after I was interviewed along with so many other coaches but as God would have it, I sailed through the interview. That was how I got the appointment. I was promoted to the main team of the Mighty Jets FC as the Assistant Coach and two years later, I became the Chief Coach of the club in 2023 under the Chairmanship of Mbum Ferdinand.
VoiceSports: As an Assistant Coach, which coaches did you work under?
Najib: I had the privilege of assisting great coaches like, Tony Ogaranduku, Sylvester Ekoja and Bernard Ogbe, from whom I learned a lot and the present Coach of FC Basira. Aminu Musa who later left and I assumed the position of the Chief Coach of Mighty Jets FC of Jos. I coached the Jos City based NNL side for one season and left for Doma United FC of Gombe as the Technical Adviser.
VoiceSports : What challenges did you face as Coach of Mighty Jets FC of Jos?
Najib : coaching the historic team in Northern Nigeria and one of the oldest teams in Nigeria, a team that has produced great players in the country, Mighty Jets FC of Jos alone was a challenge. The beauty of the club, is its history so it is something to be proud of to be a Chief Coach of Mighty Jets FC of Jos.
VoiceSports : In a nutshell, what are you saying?
Najib : I am simply saying if you are to be a Chief Coach of Mighty Jets FC of Jos, you must be ready to withstand challenges especially from the crowd in every angle but the best thing to do is to remain focused. That was exactly what I did in order to do what I felt was the right thing. Know that in football, certain people have personal interests when it comes to players that if they don’t see in matches, they must complain but if you want to satisfy every group, you will fail. That was the biggest challenge that I faced but I remained focused and fielded the right players that would play beautiful football and the match we won everybody rejoiced with us.
VoiceSports : Why did you leave Mighty Jets FC of Jos?
Najib: I left my comfort zone, in search of greener pastures. Again, people advised me to leave if I wanted to excel in my football coaching career and that is why I was very grateful to God, when I received a phone call on a Thursday, from the Chairman of Doma United FC of Gombe, Alhaji Suleiman Umar, to come for an interview in Gombe.
VoiceSports: Who or what would you say influenced him to call you for the interview?
Najib: I can simply say it was the research and investigation that he carried out about me that influenced him. I appeared before him for the interview in a hotel and after the exercise, he declared and I quote, “Coach Najib, I am satisfied that you are the right candidate to handle Doma United FC”. I resumed work as the Technical Adviser of Doma United FC of Gombe, barely two months before the commencement of the 2025/26 NNL Season.
VoiceSports: Are you confirming to me that you assembled all the players that you are now playing the League with?
Najib: Not all of them. I brought in some of the players to join those who were already in the team. This is a collective responsibility and honestly, the Chairman of the club, Alhaji Suleiman Umar is also very sound when it comes to searching for players and when he does that, he sends them to me for assessment and says if I am satisfied with their performance, I should do the needful. That is why I am very proud of him. One other good thing about him is that he gives you the free hands to handle his team.
VoiceSports: Doma United has maintained its leading position in the NNL, what is the magic behind it?
Najib: The magic is simply focus, dedication, commitment and discipline which must start from me who is the Technical Adviser. If a Coach is focused the team will always remain as such and if the Coach is distracted or confused, it will affect the performance of the team too. That is why I have chosen to remain focused and then to implement discipline and love among the players and the players have been cooperating because I have never had any problems with my players, the management team and the Chairman/CEO of the club, Suleiman Umar. That is the secret behind our maintaining the first position on the League table.
VoiceSports: What is your ambition in coaching?
Najib: My ambition is by the grace of God, to see myself coaching Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side and to coach the National Team of Nigeria in future.
VoiceSports: How would you rate the reception and support given to you by the Gombe fans since you resumed as TA of Doma United FC?
Najib: Overwhelming. They have shown me total love. Although, when I first came, some of them did not believe in me but along the way, they started coming to watch our training programmes and friendly matches. It was on the day they turned out in their large numbers to watch our first NNL match of the season against Kada Warriors FC and to see the calibre of players that we are parading. To God be the glory, we won by 1-0 and then travelled to Jos against Mighty Jets FC in the NNL Match Day 2 and also won. It was that time they were convinced that I came for business and to deliver.
VoiceSports: How did you feel when you led Doma United to Jos and defeated your home team, Mighty Jets FC in the League?
Najib: In fact, when I successfully defeated my home club, the club that produced and nurtured me, the club where my biological father, Ismaila Mabo of blessed memory was one of the founding fathers and first Captain, in the Match Day 2 NNL, I was very excited and happy that I defeated them because I wanted to protect my job and integrity. Although, I still love and care for Mighty Jets FC but I had to defeat them in order to protect my job and integrity. That is why I was very happy with the victory and the points we also secured, gave us the opportunity to sit on the top of the League table.
VoiceSports: What is the relationship between Doma and Gombe United?
Najib: Both teams have a cordial relationship because many fans and supporters of Gombe United, turn out to watch our matches and vice versa. In fact, we live in peace and harmony.
VoiceSports: How do you view the challenges of playing in the NNL?
Najib: I look at the NNL as a ladder to reach the top and a stage where I have to establish myself as a coach because there is no short cut to success. I can’t begin coaching today, and go to coach NPFL side or the National Team. Don’t forget that I started coaching the National League One (NLO), Mighty Jets FC Feeder Team and then to the NNL with the main Mighty Jets FC and now with Doma United also in the NNL. So I am using the challenges in the NNL, to groom myself in order to excel.
VoiceSports: How do you intend to maintain your position on the League table?
Najib: By working hard because the more it goes, the harder it becomes. We now have less matches to the end of the NNL and the team behind us is following up very closely in points therefore, we have to remain focused, determined and not losing concentration and also to avoid any distraction in the team. These are always my keywords. That is how we can maintain our position. My joy is that every player in Doma United is a goal scorer and that is to say, they are taking my instructions. One of my players received an award as best goal scorer of the month, recently.
VoiceSports: What is your assessment of our local players?
Najib: I am aware that the dream of every football player is to play in Europe, but before you establish yourself you must be ready to deliver in the Local Leagues, and it is your performance that will earn you the ticket to play professional football abroad. That is why they have to do more by putting in more effort in order to deliver.
VoiceSports: If you were a National Team Coach, what percentage of the Home and Foreign based players would inject you
into the team?
Najib:70% of the Foreign and 30% of Home based players because that should be a challenge for the Home based players to be goal scorers. On the goals scorers’ chart, the highest goals scorer deserves an invitation and in goalkeeping, goalkeepers that have clean sheets deserve an invitation too, and so the midfielders that give key passes and other assessments will as well deserve invitation. That applies to the defenders who intercept more, they deserve an invitation to the National Team. If you are able to consider all of these, it will be encouraging and good for the local players.
VoiceSports: Which one would you prefer, Indigenous or Foreign Coaches to the National Team?
Najib: I will go for the Indigenous Coaches because there are a lot of our coaches here that have the integrity and who can stand firm to handle the National Team. I stand firm with my statement that Indigenous Coaches are preferable.
VoiceSports: What is your philosophy in football?
Najib: If you watch the style of football of Doma United, you will agree with me that I love attacking football. That is why I have pacy wingers in my team and they score goals. My prayer for Doma United is for us to gain promotion to the NPFL.
VoiceSports: How would you describe the Chairman/ CEO of Doma United FC, Alhaji Suleiman Umar?
Najib: He is a wonderful man, he motivates, supports and encourages the team both financially and other logistics. I must also confess that he is a man of integrity, he is the one that scouted for me and so I want to thank him for believing in me and honestly, I wish him all that he wishes himself in all his endeavours.
VoiceSports: If you were to describe your father, the late Coach Ismaila Mabo, what would you say?
Najib: I think I lack the appropriate word to describe my father, but I can humbly say he was a wonderful man, he was the man that gave birth to me, he made me to be a coach and did everything for me. Before his death, he told me that, “my son, you will live to become a wonderful coach and they will deal with you even if they don’t like it, just remain focused and patient but you will get there”. I have to thank my father who was a hero. Although, I never watched him play but going by the history, he was a great football player, a great coach and a great leader. Through his diaries which I have not finished going through, he wrote how he handled his matches when he was a coach of the Nigerian Standard FC of Jos, Mighty Jets FC and the Super Falcons of Nigeria. He was the first coach who handled the Super Falcons of Nigeria, and they played in the Women’s World Cup to the quarter finals. I am proud of him. In fact, when he died in March, 2003 in Jos, I was very devastated and I felt as if it was the end of the world but I had to be strong and I am sure he is proud of me today. May his gentle soul rest in peace.
VoiceSports: How do you intend to build on his legacies?
Najib: It is a gradual process which gradually, I will because that was how he too started. So I have to be patient because I can’t compare myself to him or wear his shoes because it will be too big for me but I can only do my best.
