Growth, Grit, and Supporting Three Football Clubs -- Uzii | Proof Of Life, Episode 33.
A story about leaving home, building again, brotherhood, responsibility, and yes, football betrayal.
As the month draws to a close, it feels right to tell a story about growth.
Uzii and I go way back. From bantering his Geography team whenever we beat them during university days, to cheerful nights out, to rotating accountability partners while chasing goals we could barely articulate at the time. Through all of it, one thing has remained constant. Determination.
In this episode, I introduce my friend Udeme Etuk, better known as Uzii. A man who believes that if you are not learning, you are not living. From leading his department in university to surviving the chaos of Nigeria’s telecom industry, to building a new life in Canada, his story is layered with grit, humor, and hard-earned perspective.
He speaks about ambition, football betrayal, immigration shocks, love found in uncertain seasons, and the simple things he misses about home. Akara at night. Watching football with real fans. A community that feels like community.
As we close the month, this is a reminder that life is struggle, yes. But it is also movement. And movement is proof.
Welcome to this february’s final Proof of Life.
Let’s begin where we always do. What does “Proof of Life” mean to you in this current season?
Life is an endless struggle. It is full of ups and downs, of constantly trying new things, some succeeding, some failing. The true proof that we are alive, that we are living, is when we are learning.
If we are not learning, we are not growing, hence we are not living.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Why “UZII”? At what point did Udeme become a government name, and when did UZII take over? And how many people genuinely don’t know your real name anymore?
In my home, we had the habit of calling each other by friendly nicknames most of the time. That's how my dad was raised, and he encouraged the same in our family. Udeme was only used on serious occasions. Now, most people call me Uzii.
Take us back to university days : Geography president, department rivalries, and leadership early on. What did those years teach you about people, responsibility, and competition?
I decided to become the president of my department in order to use the office as an opportunity to do something: initiate events. I love planning trips, parties, outreaches, etc., and during my tenure, I organized a movie night, a praise night, a football competition, a high school outreach, and many others.
I did not consider the political part of becoming the leader of an organization, and my time there was the ultimate tutor. Because of the office I held, I had to improve my composure in public, change my wardrobe, and learn how to satisfy almost all stakeholders.
I also learnt a tough lesson about the political setup in Nigeria. People support you to gain favour, and when they make their demands, you must come through if you do not want a fight. The responsibilities that come with such an office, in addition to your studies, can be overwhelming.
I also realized my love for projects during this time. I just love starting a new initiative that will bring about improvements in an organization.
These lessons were some of the most important ones in my life and helped shape me into the man I am today.
Your early career days at Huawei — what were those like? What projects excited you the most, and what was it like working in high-risk environments where height and electrocution were real fears?
Haha, I never had any risk of height because I was not required to climb towers, but to supervise those who climbed the towers. However, as a field engineer, I was required to make certain electrical connections that could have led to electrocution. Luckily, that was never the case.
Huawei is a high pressure environment where the employees have to try working at the same pace with elite Chinese professionals. Their level of dedication and their prioritization of speed in delivery made me work long hours, which were crucial in helping me gather much experience in a short period of time.
I worked on projects in Lagos and Ogun, which limited my travel, but the projects I managed in Ilorin and Benin were the two that had the biggest impact on me. I still remember the cheap street food in Ilorin and the very well-educated people in the villages near Benin City.
How did you mentally navigate such an environment? Was there ever a moment you thought, “Why am I here again?” Tell us a real story.
The only time I had such thoughts was when I had to work in Ogun state towards the end of my time in Huawei. The roads in Ogun are so unthinkably bad. Once you cross from Lagos, you can see the clear difference. The locals are also highly uneducated, and English is a big struggle. Finally, the telco industry in Nigeria is poorly managed on a cell tower level. Most sites were difficult to access, and most communities have youths who have become thugs.
This is 100x more prominent in Lagos. Whenever you visit a site, many young men come from nowhere to harass you to extort money, they claim is their right as the land upon which the site was built belongs to their forefathers. I hated those situations so much, and they were the main reasons why I left the industry.
Growing up, what memories shaped the cheerful, determined guy we know today? What did young Udeme dream about?
My dad has always been a cheerful person because that man is happy come rain or shine. I got the determination from my mother because she is the most determined person I know. When I was in high school, I dreamt of being a pilot.
I just loved uniform jobs, which was why I tried to join the Air Force too. None of those worked out.
Let’s talk football betrayal. You switched from Chelsea to Newcastle. Cardinal sin.
Explain yourself. And now that both teams are shit 😅, how are you coping emotionally?
Haha! I initially switched to Newcastle, but now I support 3 clubs. Chelsea, Newcastle, and Toronto FC.
I grew up loving Chelsea because of the core of players (Cech, Terry, Lampard, Drogba), the strong manager (Jose Mourinho), and owner (Roman Abramovich). The club had Character and loyalty all round which meant something to me. It was like a cult.
When Blueco came in, Chelsea lost its soul. The owners are building an asset portfolio and have no loyalty to the club. The Managers are puppets that have no character. There are data mongers behind the scenes who just use stats to recruit players, hence why we have players like Liam Delap in our attack instead of Drogba. The players are strange mercenaries who just follow the money. For old times’ sake, I still love the club (the stadium, the trophy cabinet, the logo), but with the soul gone, it’s like loving a friend or relative who is a “vegetable”.
I used Newcastle United in my Football Manager 17 during a tough time in my life and formed an unusual bond with the club. The owners (Saudi Govt) are mainly investors and have passionate local executives run the club; the owner is in charge of a whole lot more than the first 11 and is a man of strong footballing character. The team is built around a core of passionate, loyal players like Pope, Burn, Bruno G (the real Bruno), and Joelinton. These are real characters I resonate with (not Garnacho).
I live in Toronto now, and I have always wanted to do real fan shii like be a part of the ultras, travel with the fans to away fixtures, and go watch the team train. Now I can do all these as a TFC fan.
It is possible and okay to have multiple religions, nationalities, and, as I have just explained, multiple football clubs.
You’ve now experienced life outside Nigeria. What were your biggest culture shocks moving to Canada? Give us the real stories: the funny, the awkward, and the unexpected.
The first one was that the majority of people in Toronto are not white or black. I came to Canada thinking that it would be similar to what I saw in the US when I visited, but it was quite different. Canada has a different history, and in Toronto, about half of the population is Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern. The other half is white and black (Nigerian and Caribbean). They do not have a native black population.
Secondly, I saw total strangers sharing an apartment for the first time in my life. Some of them shared a bathroom and still never spoke to each other. This is very unusual because Nigerians don’t rent 3-bedroom apartments to share with total strangers. Also, it is very common or even a standard for a Nigerian neighbor to get in your business, even when it doesn’t concern them. There is absolutely no sense of community in the city.
Another thing is that I realized that dating outside of my race was something that was of genuine interest to me.
What do you miss most about home?
I miss home!
I miss taking a walk down the street to buy akara and ogi for dinner, suya for chops, and buying groceries from the nearby mallam. I miss watching football with football fans and not alone.
Adulthood has a way of humbling all of us. What has it taught you that university never could?
As a man, nobody is coming to save you. You must work if you wan chop.
Love. You’re finding it, building it, and preparing to become a Mr. How are you feeling, and what have you learnt so far?
As an immigrant who was trying to find my feet within the first few 2 years of immigrating to a new country, finding love was tough. Most women want a man who has got his shit together. No one really wants to help you build your life.
When I found someone with whom I had mutual feelings and was ready to grow with me, I didn't think about it for too long. I don’t believe more time will change anything, and I am not willing to start another talking stage.
Before we close, drop a subtle but direct message to the “mainland squad.” And then give us one random thought currently living rent-free in your head.
Mainland squad is (or was) a group of motivated young men trying to help each other grow. Iron sharpeneth iron they say, and holding each other accountable meant a whole lot to me.
I think Tochukwu brought bad luck to the group lol.
I think the hashtag should be #JenZi 😌you are welcome