In a country where countless young footballers chase their dreams on dusty pitches, often without the money, facilities or opportunities to fulfil them, one man is determined to prove that greatness can begin with almost nothing.
His name is Babalola Adeleke, popularly known as Loba, and his dream is as daring as it is emotional: to build a football club from the grassroots of Lagos into a team capable of challenging some of Nigeria’s biggest names.
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That dream has a name — Tikitaka FC.
What began with an opportunity provided by Foz FC at the National Stadium in Lagos is gradually becoming something more meaningful than another grassroots football project. For Loba and the young players who have embraced his vision, Tikitaka FC represents hope, sacrifice and the belief that their present circumstances do not have to determine their future.
Inspired by Barcelona’s famous possession-based football philosophy, Loba has built his team around intelligent movement, quick passing, teamwork and the courage to express themselves on the pitch.
But behind that footballing identity lies a far more demanding reality.
Building a club from the ground up requires patience, commitment and the willingness to keep going when resources are limited and progress feels painfully slow.
For Loba, those difficulties are not reasons to abandon the dream. They are part of what makes it worth pursuing.
“Grassroots growth comes with hardship, but that’s a necessary part of the journey,” he said.
“We aren’t at our final destination yet, but every difficulty only makes us stronger.”
Unlike clubs with established scouting departments and extensive recruitment networks, Tikitaka FC has relied heavily on personal relationships and the determination of its founding players to identify talented footballers capable of contributing to the project.
Loba and his core squad have taken responsibility for attracting players who share their ambition, creating a team built not simply on individual ability but on collective belief.
The approach is beginning to produce encouraging results.
As the players gain competitive experience and record victories, confidence is growing within the squad. Each match offers another opportunity to develop, while every positive result reinforces the conviction that their ambitions are achievable.
Yet Loba is not interested in celebrating modest progress as though the journey is complete.
With the current league campaign expected to conclude in November, Tikitaka FC are already looking towards the next season, when they hope to challenge for the top position. Participation in upcoming academic football tournaments is also part of their plans.
But perhaps the most striking aspect of the club’s vision is the scale of its ambition.
Tikitaka FC want to face the giants of Nigerian football — and beat them.
The names on their wish list are not small ones.
Smart City FC. Ikorodu City. Rangers International.
These are clubs operating at levels Tikitaka FC can only aspire to reach for now. Nevertheless, Loba and his players see such opponents not as teams to fear, but as the standard they must work towards.
It is a bold ambition for a club still establishing itself, and the gap between grassroots competition and professional football remains enormous.
But for Loba, refusing to dream beyond the present would mean accepting limitations before his players have had the chance to test themselves.
That determination is also reflected in the club’s growing efforts to build an identity beyond the pitch. Through YouTube, where supporters can search for Tikitaka and Loba to follow the team’s activities, the project is gradually introducing itself to a wider football audience.
For the players, that visibility could become another step towards recognition in a football environment where talented youngsters often struggle to attract attention.
And for Loba, every training session, every match and every new player who joins the project brings him closer to the vision that first took shape in Abuja before finding a home in Lagos.
There are no guarantees that Tikitaka FC will reach the heights their founder imagines. Football is full of ambitious projects that never survive the demands of time, finance and competition.
But something is compelling about a group of young footballers who have chosen to build rather than wait, to compete rather than complain, and to believe that their circumstances can change.
Today, Tikitaka FC are fighting for recognition at the National Stadium in Lagos. Tomorrow, they hope to stand across the pitch from the very clubs they once watched from a distance.
For Babalola Adeleke and his players, the dream is no longer just an idea.
It is a football club, a shared sacrifice and a journey they are determined to see through.
And somewhere on the pitches of Lagos, that journey is already underway.
