In the 77th minute at the Sani Abacha Stadium on 20 September 2026, Ahmed Musa took a pass from Shola Abdulraheem and made it 3-1 against Doma United. Kano Pillars went on to win 4-1, ending Doma's perfect start to the season. The scorer is no longer the club's general manager, which says a lot about how Sai Masu Gida are run these days.
| Nickname | Sai Masu Gida |
| Founded | 1990, Kano |
| Home ground | Sani Abacha Stadium (about 16,000) |
| NPFL titles | 4 (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) |
| Federation Cup | 2019 winners |
| Coach 2026/27 | Daniel Ogunmodede |
| NPFL minimum wage | ₦2m a month from 2026/27 |
Four titles, one relegation
Pillars were formed in 1990, the year Nigeria's professional league began, from three Kano amateur sides: WRECA FC, Kano Golden Stars and Bank of the North FC.
Their peak came later. They won the league in 2008, then took three titles in a row between 2012 and 2014, added the 2008 Super Cup and reached the CAF Champions League semi-finals in 2009, where Heartland beat them. The 2019 Federation Cup followed, won on penalties against Niger Tornadoes in Kaduna. The names behind that era are in our list of the greatest players in Kano Pillars history.
Then came 2022. Pillars went down after losing an appeal against a three-point deduction linked to a former chairman's conduct towards match officials. One season in the lower tier followed. Promotion came in July 2023.
The Sani Abacha Stadium in 2026/27
Opened in 1998, the ground hosted matches at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2009 U-17 World Cup.
It has also been a problem. After fans attacked Shooting Stars players and officials in October 2025, the league fined Pillars ₦9.5 million, deducted three points and three goals, and shut the stadium, ordering the club to play at least ten home games in Katsina, The Guardian reported. That sanction hung over the whole 2025/26 season. Pillars are back home this term. The Doma win came in front of their own supporters. Other NPFL grounds are compared in our guide to NPFL clubs and stadiums.
Ogunmodede, Musa and the new board
Survival in 2025/26 was settled on the final day. Pillars finished 15th of 20 on 48 points, one clear of the drop, Soccernet reported. Before the last match, at Plateau United, the Kano State Government had approved a cash reward for players.
The rebuild was quick. On 16 June the club released eight players whose contracts had ended, including Bernard Ovoke and Christian Izuchukwu. On 3 July, media director Isma'eel Abba Tangalashi announced a two-year deal for Daniel Ogunmodede. He won the 2024/25 title with Remo Stars and remains a Super Eagles assistant.
Musa's role changed in between. On 25 June, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's spokesperson Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa announced that Musa was moving from general manager to sports ambassador for the club and for Kano State, with a seat on a new management board chaired by Ahmad Musbahu.
He still plays. Musa remains registered as a forward, and Rabiu Ali, whose long career we covered in Rabiu Ali, the timeless Kano Pillars midfielder, scored against Doma too.
The table is tight.
Pillars opened with a 2-2 draw at Kwara United on 30 August and beat Niger Tornadoes 3-2 at home a week later. On 18 October they edged Katsina United 1-0 in Kano. That left them seventh on 14 points from nine games in the official NPFL table. They also have a game in hand, the postponed trip to Shooting Stars.
What Kano Pillars players earn
The club has never published a wage scale.
Figures that circulate online for individual Pillars players carry no named source, so we do not repeat them.
What is public is the floor. In June 2026 the National Sports Commission and the NFF approved a minimum of ₦2 million a month for every registered NPFL player from 2026/27. That is roughly $1,500 at the official rate of ₦1,332 to the dollar on 13 October 2026. Champions will also collect ₦1 billion. “Players must earn a living wage,” NSC chairman Shehu Dikko said. Not every state was convinced.
Borno's sports commissioner Sainna Buba warned on 13 July that “without a sustainable financial framework, the proposal may become counterproductive”, since most clubs depend on government money. Pillars are one of them.
No 2026/27 arrears have been reported. Bonuses are another story. In July 2024 the state's youth and sports commissioner Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso promised to settle outstanding 2023/24 match bonuses, saying “players of Kano Pillars will be treated well because they are the main actors”. Musa is a special case. When he first joined in 2021, Dikko said he was not being paid. For context across the league, see our piece on the highest-paid players in the Nigerian league.
Our view
Ogunmodede has Pillars in the top half after nine games, and the four goals against Doma showed what a full home crowd can still do for them.
Money is the harder part. A ₦2 million floor is only real if Kano State pays it on time, every month, through a season in which a title would bring ₦1 billion and a stadium ban would cost far more than a fine.
Watch the payroll as closely as the table.
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 seconds ago
