Seyi Adeboye Aims Big with Ahzuba FC: “We’re Going for the Trophy”

Former Ebedi United FC coach Seyi Adeboye has declared that his current side, Kano-based Ahzuba FC, are aiming to lift a major trophy this season.

Adeboye, who took up the reins at Ahzuba FC ahead of the upcoming campaign, says he sees the club’s potential and insists that the internal ambition is now elevated. “We’re not just participating we’re competing to win,” he told the club media team.

Under his guidance, Ahzuba FC have already moved to bolster their squad and infrastructure, recruiting a trio of young talents ahead of the 2025 season.  Adeboye believes these additions are part of the formula for tangible success. “Talent is available what we need is structure, consistency and belief. At Ahzuba, we intend to build all three,” he said.

He singled out the club’s commitment to youth development and “marketable players” as a distinguishing factor. Ahzuba’s CEO, Ahmed Zubairu, commented that players had already been invited for trials in Europe, highlighting the ambition of the club.

Adeboye’s tenure at Ebedi United had been characterised by building and stabilising a team his move to Ahzuba is seen by many observers as a strategic step up, one where he hopes to deliver immediate results. For Ahzuba, located in Kano and operating with a youth-focus, the aspiration to win a major trophy marks a shift from development mode to competitive mode.

In laying out his vision, Adeboye acknowledged the challenges of Nigerian football from infrastructure to sustainability  but insisted that clubs willing to invest in structure will separate themselves. “We’re setting our target clearly: finish high, push for promotion, and ultimately win a trophy. The rest will follow,” he concluded.

Editorial

When a coach like Seyi Adeboye enters a club with a clear declaration  “we’re going for the trophy”  the gesture is more than rhetoric. It is a marker of intent. With Ahzuba FC, the Kano based club, he is signalling not just ambition but acceleration. In Nigerian football, ambition is omnipresent; execution is far rarer.

Adeboye’s background at Ebedi United reflects a coach comfortable in development roles youth, rebuilding, foundation-laying. But his move to Ahzuba, and his subsequent statements, indicate a shift. A club who had operated as a feeder, now, under his leadership, seeks to compete. This transition is significant. It demands more than better training it requires mindset change, culture change, expectation management.

Kano is no stranger to football ambition. The gravitational pull of the region’s fan culture, history, and infrastructure means that Ahzuba must not be simply another club it needs to become a statement. Adeboye understands that. The challenge now lies in aligning the club’s structure with his ambition. Young talents matter, yes, but so do senior leadership, tactical coherence, resource allocation, and stability.

In many ways, this is a microcosm of the evolving landscape of Nigerian football smaller clubs dreaming bigger, coaches seeking more than safe-jobs, youth development not just as pipeline but as core strategy. Adeboye’s statement invites scrutiny not because he lacks credibility, but because the environment tests credibility relentlessly.

What the club now needs is sustained performance. The trophy talk may draw headlines, but the real measure will be in matchday consistency, progress over months, response under pressure. If Ahzuba and Adeboye succeed, they may become blueprint rather than exception. In a league often driven by short bursts, this may be their greatest competitive advantage: the long view.

Did You Know?

1. Ahzuba FC, based in Kano, entered into a partnership with a Belgium-based scouting agency named Eye Ball, aiming to market its young players for European opportunities.
2. Ahead of the 2025 season, Ahzuba FC signed three promising talents Ibrahim Usman (defender), Bashir Garba Muhd WALO (attacking midfielder) and Murtala Adam Suleiman (striker).
3. Kano has historically been a hotbed for football fan culture and talent development in Nigeria clubs like Kano Pillars FC have leveraged large support bases this environment gives clubs like Ahzuba potential access to a passionate local following.
4. Coaches like Seyi Adeboye moving into ambitious projects reflect a broader trend in Nigerian football where smaller clubs are aiming to disrupt the traditional order of elite clubs dominating trophies.
5. A trophy win for Ahzuba would be noteworthy not just for the club but for the region signalling that next-tier or lesser known clubs can translate youth development into silverware rather than remaining feeders alone.