It took ten matches for Enyimba to find a mid-table perch. The cracks and holes in the team that dominated preseason discussions on this platform but were papered over by the early unbeaten run, have now widened and festered. The questions raised but ignored at the start of the campaign are now staring us in the face, just a quarter into the league season.
It was obvious from preseason that the sporting direction taken by the club’s management showed no clear pathway to success; from the poor quality of player recruitment and welfare, to the treatment of departing and injured players, and the outdated tactical approach of the coaching crew struggling to meet the demands of the modern game.
In spite of the club’s opaque leadership style, the loyal Enyimba faithful never wavered in their support. Doubts existed, yes, but there was faith that in difficult times the Enyimba spirit of resilience would prevail. However, emotions alone do not win matches. We’ve witnessed the highs of continental triumphs and the lows of domestic cup exits to lesser sides. That’s football; it delivers both joy and pain. The good times are enjoyed; the bad times endured.
We celebrated the unbeaten start to the season and made a song and dance about it in daily articles. I enjoyed it while it lasted, fully aware it wouldn’t go the distance. Those who soaked in the praises during that run must also be ready to take the knocks that accompany the current three-game losing streak.
As a result, the management’s knee-jerk reaction, handing the coaching crew a two-match ultimatum to turn things around, will make for an interesting watch. Whether it provokes a reaction remains to be seen, but hopefully, it jolts the team into shaking off the lethargy that has defined recent performances.
The first of those two matches is a home tie against an old rival, Kano Pillars. The Sai Masu Gida have their own problems this season and currently languish near the bottom of the table. They’ve been docked points and banished from their Sani Abacha Stadium home due to crowd trouble. Consequently, coach Evans Ogenyi was sacked, and in his place returned Mohammed Babaganaru; the same man who guided Pillars to back-to-back NPFL titles in 2012 and 2013.
The Enyimba–Kano Pillars clash once stood tall as a marquee fixture—title race-defining, always dramatic. This time, it is less about bragging rights and more about redemption and pride for two fallen giants. That alone tells the story of how far both clubs have declined.
While Pillars will fancy a chance to relaunch their campaign against a struggling Enyimba side, the People’s Elephant will draw strength from history. Since 2002, Pillars have lost 16 times in 18 visits to Aba, with their best result being a 2–2 draw achieved twice, in 2008 and 2012, both title-winning seasons for them.
Enyimba, meanwhile, recorded our biggest home win in 25 years against Pillars in 2024, hammering them 5–0 with Joseph Atule bagging a brace. The closest we came to losing was in 2012, when a late Markson Ojobo penalty salvaged a 2–2 draw.
Now, two clubs with 13 NPFL titles between them find themselves fighting for relevance rather than supremacy. Eguma’s job hangs in the balance, while Babaganaru will be desperate to justify his return to the northern aristocrats. There is no better stage to make a statement than the backyard of a traditional rival.
Sadly, the current crisis facing both clubs has become the only real talking point of this fixture—a painful departure from the glory days when previews of this tie were about title races, tactical battles, and continental bragging rights.
Two fallen giants.
One desperate clash.
How did it ever come to this?
