By Wale Mustapha
Kwara United Football Club has cleared outstanding financial obligations to its former players, in compliance with directives issued by the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board.
The club, with the approval of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, paid over ₦201 million in sign-on fees owed to players from the 2014/15, 2015/16, and 2016/17 NPFL seasons.
The move comes after the NPFL listed Kwara United among clubs with unresolved financial disputes involving overdue payables and breach of player contracts. The league body had warned that any club failing to resolve such debts risked having the licenses of newly signed players revoked indefinitely.
A formal presentation ceremony was held on Sunday at the Kwara State Sports Commission Secretariat in Ilorin. Governor AbdulRazaq personally handed over the ceremonial cheque to representatives of the affected former players.
The players expressed appreciation for the joint efforts by the government, club officials, and the NPFL in facilitating proper documentation and ensuring final settlement of the long-standing arrears.
Kwara United now joins Shooting Stars SC among the latest clubs to fully comply with the NPFL’s mandate on player compensation.
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.
