From Nigeria to Canada, Edem thankful for opportunities he has

Mike Edem is thankful for the opportunities that have been given to him throughout his life.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders safety is originally from Lagos, Nigeria.

“It was different times. We didn’t have cellphones, kids were raised by the community (and) the lifestyle was different,” Edem said earlier this week following practice at Mosaic Stadium. “When I was growing up, we were worried about having three square meals on the table and having the light on and clean water.

“There’s so many ways for you to stay alive (in Canada), to stay afloat and not let life knock you down. In Nigeria, I feel like there’s so much corruption going on and there’s so many outside factors that play into the poverty.”

His family lived in Lagos until he was 13, when they decided to move to Canada for more opportunities — especially with his older sister, Joy, beginning college to become a brain surgeon.

“There was so many strikes in the school system (in Nigeria) that lasted long periods of time,” Edem said while explaining why his dad decided to make the move. “If they have strikes that go upwards to eight months and a year, then for her program it’s going to take a long time before she graduates.”

Edem said the move opened a lot of doors for him and his family, something he still cherishes to this day.

But even he admits he didn’t realize how good the move would be for him until later in his life. Edem said he began to fall in with the wrong crowd and found himself getting into trouble.

“(I was) not going home on time, staying out late and just trying to see what’s out there for me at nighttime,” Edem said. “When my parents told me there was nothing, I should have listened.”

Edem said what made him turn his life around was the biggest inspiration in his life — his older sister.

“When we came here, she stayed true to the way we were raised in Nigeria and I felt like I did a bad job of doing that,” Edem said. “Seeing her stay true to the way she was and not let peer pressure affect how she acts or who she was, I had a lot of respect for that. Once I started to follow in her footsteps, I think life started to get a little bit simple for me.”

Before he decided to turn his life around, he tried to transfer schools without his parents knowing. They eventually found out and signed the papers.

Edem said he wanted to make the move so he could get a chance to play football.

“There was no football at my elementary school or high school so I actually transferred schools without telling my dad so I could go play football with my friends,” said Edem.

The now-30-year-old didn’t begin playing football until he was in high school. Growing up playing soccer, he realized the sport wasn’t going to be his calling.

“I was playing soccer in high school and it got to a point were I was getting too many red cards playing soccer in high school so football was the only thing left that allowed that kind of rough play,” he said.

Edem also said the reason he wanted to give football a try was because all the kids in his neighbourhood were playing with the Brampton Bulldogs.

Once he strapped on the pads, Edem fell in love with football.

Edem’s talent at football was evident, and he managed to gain some interest from universities. Edem played at Champlain Regional College (in Lennoxville, Que.) before transferring to McGill to play with the Redmen.

But Edem said it wasn’t a fit for him.

“I was never the best student so going to McGill was hard for me,” Edem said. “We weren’t winning a lot of football games so a lot of scouts weren’t really giving players a chance.”

So Edem decided he was going to transfer to a school that would give him the best opportunity to get a chance to play professionally — the Calgary Dinos.

As a senior with the Dinos in 2012, Edem recorded 55 tackles, four sacks and an interception while playing linebacker. He also was named the Canada West defensive player of the year.

The Montreal Alouettes came calling for the talented defender, taking him third overall in the 2013 CFL draft. Edem admitted after leaving McGill, he thought he would never live in Montreal again.

“I always thought being in Montreal and being a student is hard because there’s so many distractions, so when I left McGill, I was like, ‘I’m done in Montreal, I’m not going back,’ ” Edem said. “Getting drafted (by the Alouettes), I was like, ‘Oh my god, here we go again.’

“I was a lot smarter in my approach in how I did things and I think that led to the success that I’ve had.”

Edem played 18 games for the Alouettes in 2013 and finished with 49 tackles, nine special-teams tackles, three interceptions and five sacks. Edem was Montreal’s nominee for most outstanding defensive player and most outstanding rookie.

But he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the 2015 season, suiting up for four games each with Montreal and Hamilton. Edem signed with the B.C. Lions in 2016 but the Lions shipped him to Saskatchewan in 2017.

Edem has enjoyed his time with the Roughriders, saying the fans make it a special place to play.

“Regina fans make it fun to be here, they make game day a lot more fun. They make you appreciate football and you never stop being a Rider in Saskatchewan,” Edem said. “It’s nice and why would you not want to play in front of this beautiful stadium and this fan base that damn near sells out every game?”

But he still thinks about how his parents’ decision to leave their lives in Nigeria shaped his life for the better. Edem said it was in the front of his mind during the Canada Day game against the Toronto Argonauts, when families of new Canadians held the flag before the game.

“I was looking at a little girl in the front of the line and I was thinking in my head, ‘She has so much opportunity in front of her to conquer and become the best version of herself by following her parent’s footsteps,’ ” Edem said.

Edem and the Roughriders will get an opportunity to improve their winning streak to seven as they meet the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

The Green Zone pre-game show begins at noon.