THE LEGAL EAGLE - JOSHUA ONOJA (FIFA MASTER 25th EDITION)
Joshua Onoja’s life began in a quiet town of Unyi-Ette in Olamaboro Local Government of Kogi State in the heart of Nigeria. His earliest sense of identity came not in a classroom but among cassava rows, mango trees, and his eight siblings on a working farm. “We did production of yam, cassava, mango in large quantities, and lots of oranges,” he remembers, adding with a bright smile that he never grew tired of all the cashews. Despite the community he had in his immediate family, his upbringing wasn’t without its own struggles. “Life was a little bit challenging. It is yourself and your family that have to really take up some responsibilities that ideally should be taken over by the state.” In those early years, Josh couldn’t have yet predicted where his life would lead, but the discipline and sense of responsibility planted there would quietly steer him from then on.
While life demanded a degree of seriousness, sport gave Josh freedom. It was something he carried from childhood, remembering how he’d be out playing on the pitch all day until it grew dark. “Sport was really part of me before we even got into school.” As a student, Josh represented his school in football, high jump, and handball. Though professional clubs began to take interest, Josh chose his books over his boots and stayed focused on his education. “I insisted that I mostly finish preparing for my career first. I needed to build on that. I felt that if I was good enough to go professional, I should be able to finish up my studies first.”
Even as a teenager, Josh’s sharp mind and incessant questioning earned him the reputation and nickname of “the lawyer” of the family. “Growing up, a lot of people actually called me a lawyer – and then my older brother was referred as a medical doctor,” he shares. “If you followed me from when I was young, you would understand that I have this instinct in terms of being critical in thinking,” he explains. “I was offered a university placement in English. I declined and insisted I study law.” He would wait two years before he was admitted to university to test the strength of his conviction.
Josh approached his five years at university with quiet intensity and immersed himself in reading. “I was always in the books,” he recalls. In an era before internet access was common, he relied on textbooks, lectures, and other forms of analog learning. And the programme wasn’t just theoretical: students were taken to observe and partake in real court proceedings, giving Josh early exposure to how justice was applied, not just taught. Those formative years prepared Josh for what came next: stepping out of the classroom and into a national assignment that would unknowingly define his career.
By the time university ended, Josh was no longer just “the lawyer” in name. The country was calling, now through the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps, a compulsory one-year programme where graduates serve the country, often in unfamiliar roles or places. In a stroke of chance, Josh was placed with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It was there that he was first exposed to sport arbitration, an arena he would never leave. “My boss actually got me exposed into arbitration and that really helped me a lot… I was really exposed to these things from that entrant level.” What might’ve been viewed as a bureaucratic rite of passage was something far more transformative for Josh. He impressed the NFF so much that they offered him a permanent legal position the moment his service year ended. “After serving for one year, I received a recommendation from the head of legal. They wanted me to stay, to be integrated into the team as a permanent staff member. They believed in me and they valued what I brought in that year.”
That unexpected placement would become the foundation for Josh’s entire legal career in football.
What began as a one-year posting evolved into over a decade of service. Josh rose through the ranks, handling legal disputes, governance matters, and high-profile arbitration cases that shaped Nigerian football policy. He grew into an indispensable asset in sports arbitration and governance for the NFF, but with it came higher stakes and even threats to his life. “I was once trailed with a gun because one group thought they were losing out of the election – and that I was the cause of it.” But rather than pull away, Josh held steadfast to his values. “My role is ensuring that the right thing is done. We must play by the rules, the guidelines, to ensure that everything is conducted fairly.” Even when threatened, Josh never saw himself as acting alone. He was representing processes, colleagues, and the integrity of institutions others depended on. That weight made him realize he needed more knowledge – and not just for himself, but for the wider community he served.
Josh’s decision to pursue the FIFA Master was deeply personal, but it was also motivated by a longing to belong to a wider circle of like-minded professionals. “I'm here to add to my knowledge; learning is a continuous thing.” But this programme does not just offer Josh another degree. It opens a door to a global community he already admired, people he respected, friends who have walked this path, and mentors he wanted to join in shaping sport’s future. “I want to belong to a class,” he says determinedly. But even in Europe, the pillars that grounded him remained close.
Josh’s life is underpinned by the two communities that have never left his side: his Catholic faith and his immediate family. “I have a wonderful family, actually three kids with a wonderful wife. Where there is a gap, she is always the bridge.” Religion has also shaped Josh’s approach from a young age. “Believing in God, trusting in God for whatever happens to my life today has shaped how I behave, how I relate with people.” Josh’s life decisions are rarely about himself.
Now, he is preparing his return to Nigeria, not to rest, but to serve anew.
For Josh, the end of the FIFA Master is not a departure from service, it’s a return to it – this time with broader vision and specific tools. “I’m going back to the federation to take on bigger responsibilities.” He’s not coming back just for a title. He’s coming back for the young people playing football in his neighborhood, for his colleagues, for the systems he believes can be better. Community brought him this far, and it’s who he’s going back for. Josh’s journey – from Kogi to England, Italy, Switzerland, and back – isn’t a solo success story. It’s a testament to what’s possible when one man walks with his community beside him.
By Geneva Decker
FIFA Master 25th edition student
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 12 times by SportBusiness.
FIFA Master - 25 years of Excellence in Sport Business Education - organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
