The recent appointment of a new technical adviser by the newly promoted Barau FC didn’t come to me as a surprise because I knew that having qualified for the Nigerian topflight, the club, founded and sponsored by the Deputy President of Nigeria’s Senate, Barau I. Jibirin, would surely strengthen itself, preparatory to the new and higher challenge.
Moreover, right from day one, the owner of the club didn’t hide his intention to produce a team that would go continental in no distant future. It is, therefore, in line with this ambition that Barau FC did everything humanly possible to gain promotion from the Nigeria National League (NNL) to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in just one year.
In fact, older clubs like the Mighty Jets, Sokoto United, Zamfara United, Osun United, Kebbi United and all the other United clubs that have spent decades in the NNL without promotion should consult Barau FC, who achieved in one year, what has eluded them for so many years. Surely, they will learn a thing or two about the intrigues that are involved in promotion struggle.
As part of their preparations for life in the NPFL, Barau FC have announced the appointment of Ladan Bosso, a versatile gaffer as the new technical adviser of the club. As most of you are aware, Bosso, who doubles as the president of the Nigerian Football Coaches Association, is a widely travelled manager in the NPFL. Apart from the fact that he holds the record of the longest serving coach of the Flying Eagles, the immediate past coach of Bayelsa United has managed more than six clubs in the Nigerian topflight.
Although he is yet to win a league title to justify his numerous years in the domestic league, he coached at Niger Tornadoes, Kano Pillars, El-Kanemi Warriors, Wikki Tourists, FC IfeanyiUbah, Abia Warriors, Gombe United, FC Taraba as technical director, and recently, Bayelsa United. So, in nearly three decades, he has significantly impacted Nigerian football, both as a coach and leader of other coaches.
He also prides himself as the man who discovered and brought to limelight, former Super Eagles stars like Brown Ideye, Elderson Echiéjilé and Efe Ambrose. The trio was in the squad that Bosso led to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
It will be recalled that at the championship in Canada, the ever-vocal coach gained world attention when he openly accused a referee, Howard Webb from England of racism after his team suffered a humiliating quarter-final defeat in the hands of Chile. However, his “bravery” earned him a fine and suspension as FIFA slammed four-month ban from all football-related activities and a fine of 11,000 swiss Francs on him over what the world football governing body described as “offensive behaviour.”
Well, after the suspension, Bosso returned to continue with his coaching career. Even as he is yet to win the NPFL title, no one can dismiss his ability to make useful contributions to any club that engages his services. When he returned to Bayelsa United at the start of the 2024/2025 season, he struggled at the beginning, but as the season progressed, he steadied the ship and produced some remarkable results, including long winning streaks.
In fact, one of the most stunning away victories in the 2025 NPFL season was recorded by Bayelsa United when they edged Rivers United 1-0 in Port-Harcourt. Without any doubt, that loss contributed to the failure of Rivers United to upstage eventual champions, Remo Stars.
So, looking at Bosso’s longevity in the league, it can be said that Barau FC has made the right choice; and barring unforeseen circumstances, they won’t have anything to do with relegation, even as they are mere debutants. Unless they want to bite off more than they can chew, Barau FC’s concern in the first season should be how they will maintain their NPFL status. With his touch-line personality, Bosso will help his new club navigate through difficult terrain of the NPFL.
However, I sympathise with Coach Rabi’u Tata, the former technical adviser of the club, who has dropped to the position of head coach. Before my discussion with him, I thought he did not possess the required certificates to coach in the NPFL. But when we spoke, Tata told me that he was a proud owner of a CAF B licence, which is the basic requirement for coaches to lead clubs in the NPFL. Interestingly, despite the “relegation,” he still pledged his loyalty to Bosso and Barau FC.
Having emerged as the Best Coach in the NNL in the 2025 season, it would have been good for Tata to continue as the technical adviser, but it seems Barau FC didn’t want to take chances. They went for a more established coach who will flex muscles with the other big coaches. In fact, in terms of coaching experience, only a few managers in the NPFL can come close to Bosso. He may not be the best, but he certainly knows his onions.
So, if given the necessary cooperation, Barau FC wi surely reap bountifully from their choice of Bosso as technical adviser. My only worry is that the club once had a former Super Eagles coach, Salisu Yusuf, who left halfway into the season. Till now, no one knows exactly what led to the sudden departure of the highly-rated coach, who joined Nasarawa United.
In fact, he saved the “Solid Miners” from imminent relegation. Surprisingly, when the same Yusuf was with Barau FC, the club was fast disappearing from the NNL table. Maybe, if he had stayed longer, the club would have been relegated to the lower division. But Coach Yusuf went on to perform miracles at Nasarawa United, meaning that something wasn’t just right in his former place of work.
It is possible that Yusuf was denied the conducive working environment he needed to succeed. If that was the case, then Barau FC should be ready to contend with Bosso, who always wants to be in charge of his team. He works extremely hard to deliver on his assignment and is uncompromising when it comes to his employers also living up to their obligations.
Moreover, Barau FC must know that the NPFL is a different ball game. Every club in the league wants to play continental football, or at the least, avoid relegation. Therefore, the jostle for points is usually fierce. So, it is only adequate preparation in the area of good recruitment and players’ motivation that will help any newbie cope with the challenge.
For Bosso and his new club, nothing can be bigger than their first match in the NPFL against Nigeria’s most successful club, Enyimba FC of Aba. It promises to be a baptism of fire for the new boys, but if they start their campaign on a winning note, it would definitely inspire them to confront all other teams in the league without fear.
However, if they allow themselves to be blown away by the more illustrious Enyimba right in front of their teeming fans, it would be a dangerous signal. As it is said in local parlance, how the day will become is known in the morning.
