By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side Sunshine Stars have confirmed the appointment of experienced coach Abubakar Bala as their new Technical Adviser, according to Nigeriafootball.ng.
Bala will oversee the Owena Whales’ operations for the remainder of the current campaign, taking over from Kennedy Boboye, who resigned last month due to alleged interference from the club’s management.
Since Boboye’s departure, assistant coach Bobola Akinfolarin has been managing the team on an interim basis.
Bala brings with him a wealth of experience from the Nigerian domestic football scene, having previously managed several prominent clubs, including Niger Tornadoes, Kwara United, Lobi Stars, and Doma United.
Notably, he led Niger Tornadoes to two President Federation Cup finals in 2017 and 2019, where they finished as runners-up on both occasions.
The appointment of Bala marks a new chapter for Sunshine Stars as they aim to strengthen their campaign in the NPFL under his guidance.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
