By Dayo Awoniyi
ABA — Former Super Eagles striker Brown Ideye inspired Enyimba to a crucial 2-1 win over Kano Pillars in a Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba on Saturday.
The victory marked a strong response from the reigning champions following their midweek exit from the Federation Cup at the hands of Abakaliki FC.
Ideye opened the scoring early on, with Joseph Atule doubling the lead before Naibe Akpesiri pulled one back for Pillars in the 81st minute.
Despite late pressure from the visitors, Enyimba held firm to secure all three points and keep their title hopes alive.
Elsewhere, Abia Warriors were stunned 5-1 by relegation-threatened Katsina United but remain third on the table with 53 points. Lobi Stars’ woes continued as they fell 4-2 to defending champions Rangers in Enugu.
Attention now shifts to Sunday’s fixtures, where Shooting Stars host Remo Stars in a much-anticipated South-West derby, while El-Kanemi Warriors take on Ikorodu City in a northern showdown.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
