By Wale Mustapha
Kano Pillars are at risk of losing the right to play their home matches at the Sani Abacha Stadium after the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) board threatened to revoke their provisional approval for the venue.
The NPFL had instructed the club to ensure the stadium’s floodlighting system was fully functional.
In November, the management of Kano Pillars had promised to address the issue after receiving approval to return to the stadium.
However, the league body issued a stern warning, stating that failure to have the floodlights operational by Matchday 22 would force the club to relocate their home fixtures to any approved venue.
Kano Pillars had initially played their home games at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina before making a return to Kano.
The four-time NPFL champions are scheduled to host El-Kanemi Warriors at home on Sunday, and will be hoping to resolve the floodlight issue to avoid further disruption to their home games.
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.
