By Wale Mustapha
Kano Pillars’ Technical Adviser, Usman Abdallah, has vowed to address his team’s defensive inconsistencies that have cost them valuable points in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Pyramid City side faced Lobi Stars in their Matchday 13 encounter on Saturday, where two quick goals in the span of just 15 minutes left them with an uphill battle.
Abdallah made tactical changes in the second half, including key substitutions, which helped his team rally to a 2-2 draw.
While he praised the players for their resilience in the second half, he acknowledged that defensive lapses need to be urgently addressed.
“We cannot continue this way, we will sit down and find ways to address this issue,” Abdallah said.
He further stressed that the team’s attacking prowess, being the highest-scoring side in the league, should not be undermined by defensive weaknesses.
“It’s unacceptable, and everyone must take responsibility from now on. We need to identify a no-nonsense central defender during the mid-season transfer window, whether from Nigeria, Niger Republic, or any other country, who can come in and strengthen the team,” he added.
The result leaves Kano Pillars in 6th place on the NPFL table with 19 points, four points adrift of leaders Remo Stars.
Their home fixture against Enyimba International has been postponed due to Enyimba’s participation in CAF club competitions.
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.
