Kano State Football Association (KSFA)

Jamilu Uba Adamu 

A man of strong character and unwavering principle, Ibrahim Galadima, MFR, traversed every level of football and sports administration in Nigeria. He served as Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) for four transformative years.

His journey began as Chairman of the Kano State Football Association from 1977 to 1979, a period marked by the rapid development of football across the state.  

An accomplished community leader and administrator, Galadima served as Executive Chairman of the old Kano State Sports Council from 1981 to 1983. 

Honourable and diligent beyond compare, he was elected 1st Vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee in 1985, serving until 1987 before returning as Chairman of the Kano State Sports Council. He excelled once more, leading the Kano State Government to appoint him Commissioner for Social Welfare, Youth and Sports in 1989. By 1990, he became Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, with sports placed under the Governor’s Office.

In 1999, he chaired the Kano Sub-seat of the Nigeria team at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. Under his leadership, Kano recorded the highest match attendances of the tournament.  

Three years later, with an unblemished reputation for honesty and accountability, he was elected Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association. During his tenure, the NFA proposed its working Statutes to FIFA. FIFA ratified them, and the 2006 Executive Committee elections were conducted under those Statutes, which still guide the Federation today.  

Ibrahim Galadima, MFR, also served as Member, Presidential Committee on Vision 2010 (Sports); Member, National Commission on Problems of Sports Development in Nigeria (2001); Vice Patron, Nigeria Olympic Committee; Member, Board of Trustees, Nigeria Sports Hall of Fame; Vice Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Vision 20:2020; and Member, CAF Standing Committee on Legal Affairs and Players’ Status.  

In 2019, he chaired a special committee set up by the Kano State Government to guide Kano Pillars FC in their maiden CAF Champions League campaign. The debutants stunned Africa by eliminating Al-Ahly of Egypt, Africa’s Club of the Century, to reach the semi-finals.  

When the former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration created the Kano State Sports Commission in 2016, he was appointed its pioneer Executive Chairman.

He was elevated to the position of Patron of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and served as Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Institute of Sports from 2018 to 2022.  

His most recent national assignments included serving as Chairman of the 10-Year Presidential Football Master Plan Committee and as Acting Chairman of Kano Pillars FC.  

The memory of the late Ibrahim Galadima will endure in the hearts of all who encountered him, especially for those of us who regarded him not only as a father figure but as a true role model. I remain deeply grateful for the encouragement he gave me when I approached him to write the introduction to my book, Takaitaccen Tarihin Asalin Wasan Kwallon Kafa a Kano.  

A stickler for rules, regulations, and transparency. His legacy of integrity, service, and excellence in Nigerian sports will never be forgotten. Allah ubangiji ya gafarta masa, amin.

Adamu wrote from Kano via jameelubaadamu@yahoo.com.

By Jamilu Uba Adamu

It’s impossible to start this column without some reflection, especially with my interest in Kano football history.

After holding its AGM meeting last week, the Kano State Football Association (KSFA) organised an award night to honour the achievement of some truly deserving individuals. 

For some reason, I have not been able to attend the event, but from the videos and the pictures I saw, the award night was a resounding success and full of important guests. 

The venue was beautifully decorated, and a giant screen was mounted on the stage with a background picture of each recipient of the award playing, just like we usually see at international events. 

It was top-notch, from the meeting to the plaque award presentation to the awardees. The awards themselves were a fitting tribute to the outstanding contributions of the honorees. 

It was a night to remember, and the Kano State Football Association, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Sharu Rabiu Inuwa Ahlan, has set a high standard. It deserves a standing ovation for organising an outstanding event. The efforts have made a significant impact.

Aside from all that, after going through the list of the award categories that include NLO Kano State Football Association Best Player, NPFL Best Player and SWAN Kano Chapter Award, a reflection that comes to my mind, especially considering my interest in the history aspect of sports, I observed that there is no inclusion of posthumous award category among the list. 

This means that as laudable as the award event is, there is no recognition for a posthumous award to those who deserved to be honoured for planting the seeds of the game of football in Kano long ago. It continues growing as we have it today. 

Those individuals are worth mentioning for special recognition for their contributions to nurturing the game and setting the pace we are following today. 

On such award occasions, the KSFA ought to create a posthumous award category for people like the Late Muhammadu Ɗanwawu Fagge, the man who led the legendary Kano XI to win the 1953 Challenge Cup and the sponsor of the defunct Ɗanwawu cup.

Pioneer Kano Pillars FC Chairman late Alh Isiyaku Muhammad (whom his blossom friend, Alh. Isiyaku Umar Tofa, on so many occasions, used to say it was him that convinced him to be sponsoring the Tofa Cup back then). 

Also, former Kano Pillars FC Chairman’s Late Alhaji Hassan Na-Abba, late ACP Sabo Abdullahi, Late Hon. Ɗanlami Hamza, Late Sani Muhammed Usman, and late Alh Kabiru Waya or even the famous legendary Kano XI squad, that consists of the Late Sidi Coach, Maxwell, and Okoh brothers, that won the first Kano state football trophy in far away Lagos in 1953, the list goes on.

Each of those mentioned above-listed individuals deserves to be posthumously awarded. I am sure honouring them this way can be an opportunity to celebrate a legacy, inspire others, and preserve history because omitting posthumous recognition can lead to forgotten legacies and leave a legacy uncelebrated.

With this, I urge the Kano State Football Association to, in the future event, seriously consider bestowing posthumous awards to these deserving historical individuals who put not only   Kano State but the whole of Northern Nigeria on a football map. 

Let me close by extending my wholehearted congratulations to Kano State Football Association and the awardees.

Jamilu Uba Adamu is a freelance sports writer and can be reached via jameelubaadamu@yahoo.com.