When Chelsea found themselves in trouble, they turned to Guus Hiddink. twice, the Dutchman was called upon to steady a drifting giant, Chelsea, to restore confidence and guide the club away from crisis. In Nigerian football, Mohammed Babaganaru is quietly building a similar reputation, not as a title challenger this time, but as the coach clubs trust when survival is hanging by a thread.
The veteran tactician strengthened that reputation once again after guiding Kano Pillars to safety on the final day of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League season.
It was a rescue mission that seemed increasingly unlikely as the campaign entered its closing weeks.
Kano Pillars were already battling near the wrong end of the table when a three-point and three goal deduction for regulatory infractions pushed the four-time league champions deeper into danger. The punishment left the club facing a nervous final day, needing results to go their way if they were to preserve their top-flight status.
The drama intensified in Jos, where Pillars fell to a 1-0 defeat against Plateau United on the final matchday.
Yet, as events unfolded elsewhere across the country, the results the club desperately needed arrived. Despite the loss, Kano Pillars survived.
Coach Mohammed Babaganaru
Since taking charge, the experienced coach focused on restoring belief, organisation and discipline within a squad struggling under immense pressure. His calm approach helped navigate one of the most difficult periods in the club’s recent history and ultimately secured another season in the NPFL.
What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that it continues a pattern that has followed Babaganaru in recent years.
This latest survival mission marks the third consecutive season in which he has guided a struggling club away from relegation.
In 2023/24, he answered the call at Akwa United and successfully helped the former champions preserve their top-flight status after a tense battle for survival.
A year later, he found himself in another relegation scrap at Lobi Stars. Once again, Babaganaru steadied the ship and helped the club escape the drop.
READMORE: Iwobi, Bassey confirmed as Fulham part ways with 14 players ahead of 2026/27 campaign
Now, with Kano Pillars safely through another season, the coach has completed an extraordinary hat-trick of rescue jobs.
Few clubs in Nigerian football carry the weight of expectation associated with Kano Pillars. Add points deductions, growing supporter anxiety and the pressure of a final day fight for survival, and the scale of the task becomes clear.
Yet the outcome felt familiar. A struggling side regained belief. A relegation battle went down to the wire. And Babaganaru emerged on the right side of the story.
Before the decisive fixture, the veteran coach had publicly urged supporters to remain calm, insisting his players had the quality and mentality required to stay up. His confidence was rewarded when the final whistle blew across the country.
Mohammed Babaganaru
Three clubs, three seasons, three successful escapes.
The record has further cemented Babaganaru’s status as one of the NPFL’s most effective crisis managers and strengthened comparisons with Hiddink, the man Chelsea repeatedly trusted to rescue troubled situations.
Of course, Babaganaru’s coaching story is not defined solely by survival battles.
Long before becoming Nigerian football’s go-to firefighter, he enjoyed success at the summit of the domestic game, leading Kano Pillars to back-to-back league titles during one of the club’s most dominant eras.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
But while trophies helped build his reputation, it is his ability to thrive under pressure that is now setting him apart. And if recent seasons are anything to go by, whenever danger looms, Mohammed Babaganaru is increasingly becoming the man clubs call first.
