NPFL: El-Kanemi’s Hakeem Otuyiga impresses with back-to-back clean sheets
In Hakeem Otuyiga, El-Kanemi Warriors have a highly experienced goalkeeper, and he has made an immediate impact since joining from relegated Akwa United.
Such is the confidence the technical bench has in him that he has started both games of the new season, and he kept back-to-back clean sheets. Otuyiga has played a pivotal role in helping the Maiduguri side secure valuable points early in the season.
On Matchday 1 against Bendel Insurance FC at home, Otuyiga was easily the fans’ favorite, with thousands chanting his name: “Hakeem! Hakeem!” His commanding presence and shot-stopping ability energized the crowd and inspired confidence in the team, and they ran out 2-0 winners.
That outing on Sunday was followed by another brilliant performance in Lagos against Ikorodu City, where he pulled off a series of outstanding saves that were crucial in maintaining El-Kanemi’s unbeaten run.
It was such a performance that led the club’s Media Director, Gaga Aliyu, to suggest that he would have made it to the Team of the Week list, had such a list been compiled.
“His arrival, alongside Iddrisu Ibrahim, Francis Achem, and Modu Milo, has brought added depth and fierce competition to El-Kanemi Warriors’ goalkeeping department. It is a positive sign for the team’s ambitions this season,” Aliyu wrote on a WhatsApp group platform.
