Interestingly, that was exactly his first promise when he assumed his new position. Musa, who is expected to bring his wealth of football knowledge and experience to bear on the club, has promised to reinvigorate Kano Pillars. No one who knows his international connections, commitment and dedication to the club over the years will doubt his ability to deliver on the job.

Therefore, there is a new wave of enthusiasm and expectation in the camp of the ‘Masu Gida’ boys as everyone is waiting to see how the new general manager is going to transform the fortunes of the club.

However, by accepting the position of a general manager, Ahmed Musa appears to have scored an own goal because there are implications for him. Let me explain the consequences. Everyone knows he still wants to play the game actively. Even at 32 years, he wants to retain his position in the Super Eagles.

As a matter of fact, when he rejoined Kano Pillars at the start of the last NPFL season, it was in a bid to remain active enough to be invited to the Super Eagles again. Indeed, he used the period to prove to all his critics that his legs aren’t tired.

Musa didn’t stroll around on the pitch like a peacock – he turned out to be one of Pillars’ most potent strikers, scoring 10 goals to end the season as the club’s second highest goal scorer.

Interestingly, his impressive performances for Pillars earned him a well-deserved return to the Super Eagles squad for the Unity Cup in London. At the invitational tournament, he made a second half appearance against Ghana, contributing to the 2-1 victory over the regional rivals. He didn’t stay to play the final against Jamaica because he had to rush back to Kano to marry his fourth wife. However, in his brief appearance against the Black Stars, which was his 111th cap for Nigeria, he justified his inclusion in the team.

Musa’s hunger for longevity in the round leather game isn’t in doubt. He believes he still has so much to offer the sport as a player. It is for this reason that, despite calls in some quarters for him to call time on his international career, he has refused to hang his boots. Nigeria’s most successful FIFA World Cup striker remains Super Eagles substantive captain. Until he officially announces his retirement from international football, the likes of William Troost-Ekong, Wilfred Ndidi and Moses Simon can only serve as match captains.

Even as no one can doubt Musa’s determination to continue to roll back the years for club and country, accepting to serve as Kano Pillars general manager has cast a huge shadow of doubt on his decision to continue to serve the game as a player, especially in the  Super Eagles. For many, he has indirectly called time on his illustrious international career.
It is practically impossible for him to serve as a general manager/player of Kano Pillars and at the same time play for the Super Eagles. Unlike the chairman of the club, he is going to be involved in the day-to-day running of the club. He will be too busy with his new role to meet up with the demands of the national team.

Moreover, the main Super Eagles camp is not a place for home-based players, no matter how good they may be. Therefore, if Musa hasn’t made up his mind to quit international football, the moment Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf decided that he would be the general manager of Pillars, he should have declined the offer so as to keep alive his place in the national team. So, by what he has done, he has tactically bade farewell to the Super Eagles.

Furthermore, by accepting to serve as Kano Pillars’ general manager without dropping his role as a player, Musa is inadvertently contributing to bringing the NPFL into disrepute. Combining positions is not new in sports, but it is usually in the area of coach-player. Most times, it is when a coach has resigned suddenly that the most senior player in the team is asked to act temporarily as player-manager (coach).

Ryan Giggs once played the role of player-coach in 2013 in Manchester United. The present coach of Bayern Munich, Vincent Kompany, did the same thing in 2019 when he returned to Anderlecht before he finally retired from active football.

But in the case of Musa, he is not going to be a player-coach but a general manager to oversee the day-to-day administration of the club. It may be argued that a precedent was set when the general manager of Enugu Rangers, Amobi Ezeaku, a lawyer, made his professional debut against Niger Tornadoes in the 2023/2024 season but it wasn’t a good advertisement for the league.

That was why some of us vehemently condemned his action, but this is Nigeria where everything goes. So, he still plays for Enugu Rangers while serving as the club’s general manager/chief executive. Not long ago, he was listed for one of the team’s Federation Cup matches, all in an attempt to be a cup winner in Nigeria. Maybe the young lawyer is desperate to make a name as a professional football player, but Musa is already an iconic figure in the game. He won’t lose anything by being a fulltime general manager.

It is rather sad that after everything, the former Leicester City, CSKA Moscow and Al-Nassr star will be seen as one of those who are undermining the standard of the NPFL. What is happening doesn’t exist in serious football leagues in the world. It is only in the NPFL that a club chairman can double as a technical adviser, even without the prerequisite training and qualifications. As a matter of fact, the chairman of Manchester United or Liverpool is hardly seen near the field. During matches, they usually sit in the VIP lounge watching proceedings.
However, in the NPFL, some club chairmen go to the extent of joining the technical crew in the dug-out, dishing instructions and attempting to intimidate match officials. These are serious professional misconducts that have continued to undermine the domestic league. Permit me to think aloud. Should a top club official be registered to play in the league?

Unfortunately, Musa, who has seen it all at the highest level of football, is about to join the bandwagon. In fact, barring a last-minute change of mind, the general manager, who has since resumed training with his players, will be registered for the 2025/2026 season.

Is this befitting of a top executive of a professional club? Honestly, it won’t be a good sight to behold if small boys are seen rough-tackling the chief executive officer of a rival club, and he is left with no option than to retaliate. If Musa were appointed a coach-player, nobody would raise eyebrows, but taking the role of a general manager-player is indeed absurd.