Ever wondered anything about the best player for five seasons in the Nigeria Basketball League? QUEEN JOHN interviews Kano Pillars shooting guard, Abubakar Usman fondly called “Ndabu”. Let’s meet him.
WHO IS ABUBAKAR USMAN?
I am from Labai village in Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger state. I was born on July 5, 1986. My mum is the first wife of my father’s 2 wives and I am the 5th child out of the 6 children my mum gave birth to, but the 8th of 27 children.
My mum gave birth to 3 girls and 3 boys but we lost 1 girl. I grew up in Minna. The name of my primary school I attended is Shansha Primary School but now called IBB primary school in Minna.
From there I attended Wetongi Secondary School, also in Minna.
What about college, University, Polytechnic?
I couldn’t go.
Was it your choice?
No it wasn’t I had financial challenges so I had to stop after secondary school.
When and how did basketball start for you?
I started from Secondary School in 1993 when some group of people came to my school to pick U-12 Players for a National U-12 basketball competition in Lagos but not Milo basketball competition.
I was among the best players picked for the competition. At the end of the championship, Niger state finished in third place beating Katsina in the losers final.
We missed out of the final after Bauchi state beat my team in the semifinals.
After watching my performance and few others, the group said they would continue to groom me because they saw the talent in me.
I was later taken to Kano to play U-13 competition same year. Because of my rapid development, I was immediately promoted to the U-15 team.
Though I looked smallish, I refused to be intimidated by the bigger guys in the team that encouraged me to keep doing my best which later earned me a place in the U-18 team. I played alongside some of my brothers who were playing basketball at that time till 1996.
From there, I was asked to join Niger Potters, watch them and also train with them sometimes.
My Professional basketball career started officially in 1997 and I played for Niger Potters till 2007. We won the league in 2007, went on to represent the country at the African Club Championship in Angola finishing fifth while I emerged as the best 3-point shooter.
From there I proceeded to Al-Ahly in Qatar and played for one year. During my break, Kano Pillars called me to join them and I was told they were ready to offer same thing I was earning in Qatar. After consultations with my siblings, I decided to stay back home rather than stay far away from home. I officially joined Kano Pillars in 2009.
How were you able to discover your shooting skills? or did you just start shooting on your own?
Noooooo, actually, (laughs) I had some of my friends who were like brothers to me in Niger Potters.
They loved me back then always teaching how to shoot especially late coach Black (David Onmoke) who was later the assistant coach of Mark Mentors but died two years ago.
Back in the days, I loved his style of play, his shooting skills so I had to emulate him through hard work and that’s why I am good at shooting today. Many feel I was born with it or it just came naturally, but no it didn’t.
I started when I was playing for U-15 team in Niger Potters but only started seeing the result in 1999, 2000.
Have you ever made an attempt of leaving Pillars?
Yes I have. Anytime a team wants me to come and play for them, Pillars will ask me “Abubakar what is wrong? Why do you want to leave?”
Whatever the team wants to offer me, they upgrade my pay and plead with me to stay. I also take a critical look at it and realize going abroad would make me spend more, I’ll feed, transport around, may be accommodation etc but here I don’t need to spend all that so I’ll just stay back.
What attracts players to Kano Pillars and what is that special thing about them?
Pillars love victories and they believe in bringing in the best legs to Kano. If Pillars want you, they negotiate with you and offer you a little higher than what your club pays you as long as you are a quality player. Also, Pillars don’t fail in their own responsibility on prompt payment.
I doubt if any club in Nigeria pay from January to December like Pillars and that’s why players run to us. Sometimes, I also stand has a middle man between the players and the government fighting for the rights of the players.
How long do you want to continue playing basketball because you still play very well?
(Laughs).Some people are always like Ndabu is old, he is this and that. I’ll go for a competition and same people will say “bros you are playing well I don’t think you should retire”.
I don’t intend to play more than 5 or 6 years before I’ll retire.
So what do you intend to do after retirement?
*laughs, Right now I am a player coach, I play and I coach in my team. When I started they taught me, encouraged me and that’s why I am NDABU today. Players ought to learn from me and if I don’t tell them or teach them, how can they know or learn those things that will improve their game?
During the off season what do you do with your time?
I am a business man and most Nigerian basketball players know what I do. I am a car dealer. Even when the season is on, and I am not around, I have boys that would attend to buyers or my customers. They take the car to the buyer, do the transaction and send the money to me. And that’s why I keep advising my fellow players to try and do something outside basketball.
Did you at anytime face challenges and how did you tackle them?
I did I won’t lie about that. My father used to tell me that challenges are a test of life and should make me focus and help me in achieving my goal.
So whenever I face tough times, I double my efforts. Sometimes, I have issues of envy from players, coaches and I was even accused of using “juju” (black magic) to play my games and that’s why I usually come out top.
In spite of these challenges I face regularly, it propels me to do my best rather than pull me down. I don’t believe in begging to play or godfathers I do my best to earn my place in the national team. It baffles me why coaches envy players.
When a coach want me to play for his team, I tell him no because they can’t pay me and when I turn them down, they use it against me whenever we go for national assignments. I can’t leave where I am being paid regularly and well and go to a club where I won’t be paid.
Are you married?
Yes I am with two kids. I got married December 31, 2004. How do you cope not always having them around? During my break I go to visit them in Minna stay with them, or take one week leave to visit them or sometimes I go stay with them during the week since our league games are played on weekends and sometimes I bring them to Kano to stay with me in Kano for a while in my house in Kano but not during the season.
If you had your way would you have loved to play in NBA?
Haaaaaaaa!!!! Why not oooo? NBA has a name and go anywhere with it you’ll be respected even if it’s a season you play there.
Talking about your name NDAABU, Is it a combination of your names or nick name?
*Laughs. NDA means a goal getter in my language. I always strive hard to get things done even whenever we go pick mangoes I do my best. So my friends started calling me the name while growing up and merged with my name. NDA +ABUBAKAR = NDAABU
Tell us about the competitions you have been to
2002 U-18 QUALIFIERS COTEDVOIRE
2002 U-18 FINALS EGYPT 1ST
2003 U-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GREECE 9TH
2003 YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP FRANCE 2ND
2004 U-21 CHAMPIONSHIP BURKINA FASO
2004 U-21 QUALIFIERS SENEGAL 1ST
2004 U-21 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ARGENTINA 11TH
2006 COMMONWEALTH AUSTRALIA 1ST
2007 ALL AFICA GAMES ALGERIA 1ST
2011 ALL AFRICA GAMES MAPUTO 1ST
2015 ALL AFRICA GAMES CONGO BRAZAVILLE 1ST
5 time winner of the DSTV basketball league (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016) and also the MVP in all the five years he won the league with Kano Pillars.