By Wale Mustapha
Barau FC head coach, Isa Ladan Bosso, says his newly promoted side are fully prepared to stun nine-time champions Enyimba when both teams clash in their opening fixture of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
The Kano-based club, who sealed promotion to the topflight through last season’s Nigeria National League (NNL) playoffs, will host the People’s Elephants at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano.
Despite the daunting challenge of facing one of the league’s most decorated clubs in their first-ever NPFL outing, Bosso — widely regarded as one of the finest tacticians in the domestic scene — remains upbeat about his team’s chances.
“I believe we are ready. The players are in good shape and high spirits,” Bosso told the club’s media.
“For me, facing Enyimba is not new, but I want to assure our fans that at the end of this match, we will win.”
Barau FC will be aiming to make a statement in front of their home fans, while Enyimba are seeking to kickstart their campaign on a strong note after narrowly missing out on the title last season.
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.
