Musa’s return is excellent for league- Adepoju

Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has commended record-capped Super Eagles player Ahmed Musa for returning to the Nigeria Professional Football League to play for Kano Pillars for the second time.

Musa played against Sunshine Stars last weekend, and he shone, scoring a brace for Pillars to mark his return to the league after two years. His last time in the NPFL was during the 2020/21 season.

Speaking about Musa’s return, the ‘headmaster’, as Adepoju is fondly called, told PREMIUM TIMES via a telephone interview that Musa’s action will add glamour to the league.

“Ahmed Musa is approaching retirement, and I think it’s a very good decision for him to think of coming back to play in the NPFL. It is also going to bring more glamour and recognition to the NPFL. I have to commend him on what he did, scoring two goals in his first match. It is commendable.”

Meanwhile, Adepoju also debunked any side talks that Musa’s arrival might cause panic or threaten the established Kano Pillars team. According to him, Musa will add experience and exposure to the team.

“What kind of threat is getting an experienced player into the team? Anybody feeling threatened should try to work hard to ensure he plays better. If he isn’t playing well, the coaches will not use him, and as long as he is bringing experience into the team, what kind of threat is that? One just has to work hard and learn from him.”

Musa following the footsteps of Yekini, Aiyenugba Amokachi and others

Musa isn’t the first Super Eagles to return to the league where he was discovered. Like late African Footballer of the Year Rasheed Yekini, current coach of Lobi Stars, Daniel Amokachi, and NIS-certified coach Dele Aiyenugba have also returned to play for their boyhood clubs after stints abroad.

Aiyenugba’s interview with PREMIUM TIMES in 2022 during his return to Kwara United said his homecoming was to bring experience and to get closer to his family.

Meanwhile, Musa’s homecoming has also influenced players like Alex Iwobi and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who have never played in the NPFL, to consider returning to play in the NPFL in the future.

In a video that went viral on X on Thursday, 10 October, Iwobi and Dele-Bashiru answered questions about coming back to the league. Their response was Kano Pillars because Musa plays there.

Meanwhile, Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye showed interest in playing for Enugu Rangers based on his roots, while Germany-based Frank Onyeka seemed uncertain, though he tilted towards Enyimba.

Players’ development in Nigeria

Adepoju was a part of the history-making 1994 Super Eagles team that won the 1994 AFCON and represented Nigeria for the first time at a FIFA World Cup in the USA. He played alongside the likes of Finidi George and Rasheed Yekini. He revealed that football has transitioned from his playing days to the present moment.

While speaking about football development in Nigeria and its level, the midfielder, who has been capped 48 times for Nigeria, told PREMIUM TIMES that what matters is intentionally intensifying football development.

“That period is a different period from now. One cannot compare 1994 and 1996 to now; things have changed, a lot has changed, the system and others. The only thing is to keep on with the developmental project, to be intensified the more so that we can produce good players.

“We have good talents in Nigeria, but the way we develop them is what we are not getting. I believe with time, all those holes will be closed, and the glories could come back,” he concluded.