If you grew up in a neighborhood characterized by young, vibrant boys who would agree to trek miles to pick sets and play monkey posts, nicknames that remind you of European football players wasn’t an unusual experience. While the reasons for these nicknames could just be mere likeness for the players that bear them, some may be due to a jersey shirt they cherished and wore with joy while growing up, or even a more obvious reason like style of play or positions they’ve hacked. On our radar for the sixth of this sportlight series is one famous UI football player, popularly called by the name of a 31-year-old French football player, Paul Pogba.
Throwback to the previous edition of the SEALS Cup! The midfield trio of Pogba, Elmer and Oba were popular for the strength they gave to Political Science who finished third at the competition. At SEALS Cup 2023, Political Science finished with the silver medal around their necks after losing the final to Philosophy. Dusting off their woes and aiming for the gold medal, they presented a strong side at SEALS Cup 2024 but unfortunately fell to IPE in the semifinal, losing 4-2 in the penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regular minutes. Pogba was and has been an instrumental force in the Political Science team. He scored the second goal in the quarter finals for Political Science and that goal proved to be the only distinction between the Social Sciences side and Civil Engineering.
Elkanah ‘Pogba’ Ayuba, a now popular name in the UI sports atmosphere, rose to stardom in 2021, captivating the hearts of students and coaches alike. Unknown to many, Pogba is a PhD student. He had his first degree in International Relations and Political Science at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. After that, he gained admission for his Master’s degree in Political Science in 2019, but resumed in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Political Science.
Surprisingly, Pogba was not a popular football player at ABU. He played for his department at interdepartmental competitions but he never made the school’s team. At ABU, he participated in the HOD Cup 2015 where he won the silver medal, HOD Cup 2016 where he won the gold medal, Dean’s cup 2016 (2nd runner-up) and the Inter-Faculty Competition 2017 (1st runner-up). After his education at ABU, he started playing football in UI in 2019 but not as a student. He was a player of the Tripple 44 Academy and he had the opportunity to play against the UI football team as an academy player. He eventually started playing as a student of UI in 2021. An observer met with him and linked him up with the coach of the UI football team, Coach Allen.
Unlike many, Pogba was already a member of the UI football team before he started playing for his department. At the time, Pogba had just returned from his club in the 2nd tier of Nigerian football, the Nigerian National League (NNL), Madiba FC, Lagos. He learnt from his colleague in the faculty that the Faculty of The Social Sciences, UI, was to play against the Faculty of Social Science, OAU. A defensive midfielder with an eye for the goal, he dazzled in the match and he eventually linked up with the Sports Director of Political Science in UI at the time.
With Political Science as a post-graduate student, he has participated in many competitions including the Dean’s Cup 2022, winning the gold medal, Dean’s Cup 2023 (gold medal), Super Cup 2023, SEALS Cup 2023 (silver medal) and SEALS Cup 2024 (bronze medal). He recalls that the Super Cup 2023 was one to forget for him and the Political Science community. They had a disappointing outing, after being knocked out in the first round of the competition by Human Kinetics and Health Education (KHE). He has also featured in 3 editions of the Sigma Cup finishing as the first runner-up in the first with Raid FC (now disbanded), second runner-up at the second edition with Prime FC (now disbanded) and won the just concluded edition with Soccer For All (SFA). In other competitions, he won the bronze medal with Abubakar Abdulsalami Hall at the Interhall Competition 2021, the gold medal with Abubakar Abdulsalami Hall at the Interhall Competition 2023 and the silver medal at the Infinix 5-a-side Competition 2023 where he also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Elkanah’s football journey took an interesting twist as he evolved from an attacking player to a defensive midfielder. Initially, he began his career as a striker or winger but as he matured and honed his skills, he discovered a new passion for the defensive midfield role, a position that has now become his forte. It is no surprise that he started football as he revealed that watching Jay Jay Okocha of the Super Eagles of Nigeria initiated his interest in football. In his words, “Interestingly, I started playing from age 8, I remember watching football very much when I was little and that very day, I watched a match between Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea and that was it for me. I wanted to make it pro. Okocha was a motivation for me”.
However, he found a new one in the defensive midfield position during his National Youth Service. “I never really knew how good I was at playing that position until my NYSC. First, I got compliments playing in that position in the orientation camp and then began part of the sport CDS (Community Development Services). It took my confidence to a different level. I was so effective they had to name me Rock” The social director named him Pogba and it stuck with him since then. Asides attack and defensive midfield, he has also been asked to play as a central defender a couple of times. He truly is an all-rounder in the game of football.
So far, his most memorable competition is the SEALS Cups 2023. At that time, he was passionately searching for a professional football team to join. However, he had hit a brick wall several times. It was a low point in his career and he started feeling he was not going to make it pro. He eventually left football for a while but participating in the competition was the exact spark he needed. Although he did not win the competition, the run to the final gave him the right encouragement to continue his grind. He also revealed that the semifinal of that competition against the MBBS team was the toughest match he has played so far. Political Science won the game by a single goal to nil, courtesy a penalty in the first half of the match.
The toughest player he has faced so far is Emmanuel of Sociology. He faced Emmanuel in the Dean’s Cup and the first edition of the Sigma League. He attested to the player’s incredible technicality together with his ability to find a way through a rock, solid defense. His favourite teammates are Emmanuel, Afo, Kante, J Kareem, Kester, and Ibrahim. They all played together in the UI football team. Asides the UI football team, he has shared the same jersey with Kante at Prime FC and with Kester and Ibrahim at SFA in the Sigma League. In UI football, he admires the playing style of Heskeyman of Civil Engineering and TomTom FC and hopes to play with him in the same team one day.
Unlike many football fans, his favourite professional footballer is not Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Pele Maradona or Ronaldinho. It’s Marco Reus! He believes he shares similar attributes with the German midfielder and also fell in love with his story. “I fell in love with his story. A kid who was deemed too skinny to play football but defied all odds to become one of the greatest to grace the field for Borussia Dortmund. Aside from the fact that I fell in love with his style of play, his technicality was so underrated”.
Asides football, he also plays volleyball and tennis although he has never joined a team or participated in a competition in these sports. Asides football and academics, he is a sales and onboarding specialist. He still desires to go pro in football although he admitted that it is difficult combining academics with footballing pursuits. Although he is currently without a professional football team, he hopes to join one by the beginning of the second half of the current season. For Elkanah, football is more than just a game – it’s a way of life. It’s a platform for self-expression, a catalyst for personal growth and a source of joy and fulfillment. As he continues to chase his dreams and push himself to new heights, one thing is clear: Pogba’s passion for football will forever be the driving force behind his success.
He also mentioned the decline in sports involvement in UI, also lamenting about the lack of proper funding for athletes. “Some weeks ago, we represented the University in this year’s edition of Seyi Makinde Cup and after the game against Cooperative College, there was no means for the players to return back to school. We had to make provision for transportation from our pockets. News like this doesn’t encourage sport participation”.
He believes that awareness about sporting activities should be promoted by having an official supporters club for the school, increased funding and sponsorship should be provided by reaching out to alumni of the prestigious university and emphasized an urgent need for an upgrade to the sporting infrastructure in the school.
As Pogba’s remarkable journey continues to unfold, his fans can cherish the memories of his thrilling performances on the University of Ibadan football pitch. Though his time on the university’s team may be limited, his passion, dedication and impressive achievements hint at a brighter future ahead. With his sights set on even greater heights, Elkanah’s story is far from over and his supporters eagerly await the next chapter in his remarkable journey.
Emmanuel Ibitunde.
