Former Nigerian international Augustine Okocha has explained the origin of his widely known nickname "Jay-Jay" during a recent appearance on The Obi One Podcast hosted by fellow former Super Eagles midfielder John Obi Mikel.
In the interview, Okocha said the name began in his childhood neighborhood. According to him, there were several people named Austin or similar names in his family compound, which caused confusion.
To differentiate him, people in the area started referring to him as "Austin, JJ's brother" after his older brother James, who played football first and was originally known as Jay-Jay. The description was gradually shortened to Austin JJ and eventually stuck as his own identity.
Okocha said the nickname became more useful when he moved abroad to pursue his professional career. He noted that many people outside Nigeria struggled to pronounce his first name Augustine, while JJ was shorter and easier to remember. Because of that, he decided to adopt the name fully and later added it to his passport, making it official.
Speaking with humor about how the name came from his elder brother, he joked that he still owes him for its use, saying, "But I still pay royalty to my brother."