By Wale Mustapha
Coach Mohammed Babaganaru of Akwa United has pinpointed the club’s struggles in the 2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season to issues of profligacy, loss of concentration, and injuries.
The Promise Keepers have had a disappointing start to the season, securing only three wins from their first 12 matches and managing a meager nine goals in that stretch.
Currently languishing in 16th place on the league table with just 12 points, the 2021 NPFL champions have found themselves in a precarious position.
Babaganaru, who expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance so far, has promised to continue working tirelessly to improve their fortunes.
“That has been my major problem. Week in, week out, we keep working on that goal-scoring area, but so far, we haven’t got it right, and I’m not satisfied because we haven’t been scoring enough goals,” Babaganaru stated in a press release via Akwa United’s official media channels.
In addition to the team’s goal-scoring woes, Babaganaru highlighted injuries as a significant challenge.
“Another thing is that we have a lot of injuries in the team. So many of our players are injured. Most of our strikers are sidelined, and that’s why we’re still struggling with that problem,” he explained.
With the team looking to bounce back, Akwa United will face Elkanemi Warriors in Matchday 13 on Saturday in Maiduguri, hoping to improve their performance and climb up the NPFL standings.
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.
