Junior Aliyu

Striker - Kano Pillars
22 May 2027
Saturday
Process
42 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Olakunle Akala: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kano Pillars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Muhammed Usman is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kano Pillars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tobi Alagbe

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

Back issues
37 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Ahmed Musa out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Ahmed Musa, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Abdullahi Abubakar is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kano Pillars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Kano Pillars find a way past Barau

Barau made Kano Pillars work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Idowu Aremu

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Abdul Musa knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kano Pillars, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

The selectors could not leave Junior Aliyu out

6.91 across ninety minutes and a place in the division's team of the week. He was the best player on that pitch and everybody there knew it.

In brief

33 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

9 matches without a win for Kano Pillars

The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Kano Pillars are no longer polite ones.

Market

Junior Aliyu asks to leave Kano Pillars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Abdullahi Abubakar is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kano Pillars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Aminu Sani gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Naphtali Mokoena asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Match

No goals between Kano Pillars and Kwara United

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Kwara United will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

32 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

8 matches without a win for Kano Pillars

The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Kano Pillars are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Naphtali Mokoena: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kano Pillars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Okechukwu Azubuike stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Okechukwu Azubuike and Kano Pillars agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

26 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Muttaka Musa asks to leave Kano Pillars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

8 unbeaten for Kano Pillars

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Kano Pillars did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Abuchi Okeke lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Squad

Abdul Musa gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Honours even between Kano Pillars and El-Kanemi Warriors

3-3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Market

Shooting Stars are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Kano Pillars will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Aminu Mohammed is off the mark for Kano Pillars

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

Junior Aliyu finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Kano Pillars have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

The Naphtali Mokoena talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kano Pillars know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

25 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Junior Aliyu says Kano Pillars went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Abdullahi Abubakar is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kano Pillars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

7 unbeaten for Kano Pillars

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Kano Pillars did not have in the autumn.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Abuchi Okeke

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Kano Pillars and Aminu Mohammed are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Match

Kano Pillars and Plateau United cancel each other out

Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Plateau United came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.

In brief

24 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Abdulmalik Sanusi asks to leave Kano Pillars

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Katsina United come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Kano Pillars did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

6 unbeaten for Kano Pillars

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Kano Pillars did not have in the autumn.

Market

Berekum Chelsea expected to open talks for Naphtali Mokoena

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Kano Pillars will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Junior Aliyu stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Junior Aliyu and Kano Pillars agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Kano Pillars see off Wikki Tourists

Three points for Kano Pillars, 2-0 the final word against Wikki Tourists in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Taiye Murtala gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Kano Pillars and Temple Emekayi are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Squad

Abuchi Okeke asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

19 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Ali Abdullahi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kano Pillars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Naphtali Mokoena gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Nafiu Abubakar out for 29 days

The medical room confirms 29 days on the sidelines for Nafiu Abubakar, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

15 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Abdullahi Abubakar says Kano Pillars went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Naphtali Mokoena gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Junior Aliyu wants to come home

“I did not go to Ikorodu City to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kano Pillars and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

In brief

14 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Chiedozie Okorie gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

Wages eat 130% of everything Kano Pillars earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Kano Pillars and Temple Emekayi are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

4 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Cup progress for Kano Pillars

A 0-0 win over Bayelsa United, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Squad

Mohammed Galadima decides it from twelve yards

1 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.

Market

Bendel Insurance come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Kano Pillars did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Mujahid Ibrahim hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kano Pillars can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Chinedu Ozor is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kano Pillars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Abdul Musa stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Abdul Musa and Kano Pillars agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Okechukwu Azubuike gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Kano Pillars and Barau take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Naphtali Mokoena knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kano Pillars, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

3 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Junior Aliyu attracts admirers

The name of Junior Aliyu has come up in conversations Kano Pillars were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Match

Kano Pillars get the job done against Enyimba

A 2-1 win over Enyimba, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Abuchi Okeke

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Talks stall between Kano Pillars and Temple Emekayi

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

Kun Khalifat are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Kano Pillars will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Abuchi Okeke lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Market

Charles Tambe told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Charles Tambe has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Kano Pillars.

Squad

Ahmed Musa is off the mark for Kano Pillars

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Squad

A first senior shirt for Sagir Lawan

Every debut is a small story about the future: Sagir Lawan, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.

In brief

  • The terraces The press have found their man in Ahmed Musa
  • The terraces The stand has a song for Ahmed Musa
2 Edition

The Kano Pillars Gazette

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Kano Pillars turn down Warri Wolves for Muhammed Usman

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Abdullahi Abubakar attracts admirers

The name of Abdullahi Abubakar has come up in conversations Kano Pillars were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Paschal Durugbor gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Kano Pillars find a way past Warri Wolves

Warri Wolves made Kano Pillars work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Market

Talks stall between Kano Pillars and Naphtali Mokoena

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

Nobody at Kano Pillars has picked up the phone to Usman Fahad

48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Squad

Usman Fahad knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kano Pillars, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

A first senior shirt for Suleman Garba

Every debut is a small story about the future: Suleman Garba, 18 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.

Squad

Junior Aliyu is off the mark for Kano Pillars

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief