Kano Pillars Technical Adviser Daniel Ogunmodede has called on Nigerian universities to open their doors to football club internships, arguing that students in Physical and Health Education and Sports Management courses stand to gain real value from working directly with clubs like Pillars.
Ogunmodede spoke on Thursday at Bayero University, Kano, where he was a guest at the 54th National Conference of the Nigeria Association for Physical, Health Education, Recreation, Sports and Dance (NAPHAR-SD). He told delegates that clubs are well placed to expose students to hands-on experience alongside coaches, physiotherapists and fitness trainers, giving them a feel for the technical and physical demands of professional football.
For Pillars supporters, the coach's comments reflect a broader vision for the club beyond results on the pitch. Ogunmodede believes students could play an active role in areas such as sports science, physiotherapy and fitness conditioning, work that would sharpen professionalism both in football management and in how clubs are run day to day.
The Pillars gaffer did not stop at internships. He also spoke about life after football for many Nigerian players, describing a pattern where retired footballers struggle to find new work and drift away from the sports industry entirely. He argued that universities have a duty to arm athletes with transferable skills and knowledge while they are still playing, so that retirement does not mean the end of their contribution to sports.
Professor Faruk Rashid Haruna, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Education, Kontagora, who chaired the event, backed Ogunmodede's proposal and pushed for closer ties between universities, football clubs and sports councils. He specifically called on Departments of Kinetics and Health Education to lead such collaborations, insisting that athletes should be nurtured through proper scientific methods rather than left to chance, a practice he noted is still too common across Nigeria.
Professor Abdullahi Darki, Chairman of the Sports Consultative Committee at Bayero University, Kano, welcomed the recommendations as timely. He revealed that the university is putting together a new sports policy and gave assurance that Ogunmodede's ideas would feed into that process, saying "the university is currently developing a sports policy" and that participants' input would be considered as part of it.
Away from the conference hall, Ogunmodede's focus remains on getting results out of his Kano Pillars side. The team drew 2-2 away to Kwara United on Matchday 1, with Abdulraheem Shola and Rabiu Ali on the scoresheet, before bouncing back with a 3-2 home win over Niger Tornadoes on Matchday 2, Fabian Nworie Maduabuchi scoring twice either side of a Friday Ubong strike. Pillars now prepare to host Doma United FC on Matchday 4 on September 20, 2026, as they look to build on that home victory and give their fans more to cheer for.