By Wale Mustapha
Nasarawa United are actively pursuing the signing of four standout players from Crown FC as they prepare for the upcoming Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.
The targeted players—Moses Ngbede, Sodiq Rilwan, Afeez Yusuf, and goalkeeper Emmanuel Oladeji—are currently on trial with Nasarawa United, with negotiations underway for their potential acquisition from the Ajilete Valiant.
These players were key contributors to Crown FC’s impressive run to the Super Eight playoffs in the 2024/25 Nigeria National League (NNL) campaign, although the club narrowly missed out on promotion to the NPFL.
Nasarawa United themselves narrowly avoided relegation last season and have since appointed Mbwas Magnut as their new Technical Adviser, succeeding Salisu Yusuf who departed after last campaign.
The club hopes the infusion of fresh talent will strengthen their squad and improve their fortunes in the forthcoming 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.
