Comrade Saina Buba: The man behind El-Kanemi Warriors’ resurgence 

For 33 years, the story of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri on the African continent has remained largely a memory — a glorious chapter written by a generation of players who took the club to the semi-finals of the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1993.

Three decades later, the echoes of that historic campaign are beginning to resonate again.

El-Kanemi Warriors have returned to the continental stage with renewed confidence, and their progress in the 2026 CAF Confederation Cup is offering supporters in Borno State a reason to believe that the club can once again become a force in African football.

At the heart of this resurgence is a renewed commitment to sports development in the state, with the Commissioner for Youths, Sports Development and Poverty Alleviation, Comrade Saina Buba, playing a significant role in providing the support and institutional backing required to keep the Warriors moving forward.

The latest achievement came in Guinea-Bissau, where although El-Kanemi Warriors UDIB to a 1-0 to secure a 3–1 aggregate victory and progress to the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup. It was a result that completed the job started in Ikenne, where the Nigerian side produced a commanding 3–0 first-leg victory.

But beyond the goals, the aggregate scoreline and the qualification itself was something much bigger for El-Kanemi.

It was the end of a 33-year wait for another significant continental breakthrough. 

The last time the Maiduguri club reached such heights was in 1993, when the Warriors embarked on a remarkable run in the African Cup Winners’ Cup. They defeated CD Elá Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Olympique Mvolyé of Cameroon and Stade Tunisien of Tunisia to reach the semi-finals, where they came up against Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

The Warriors eventually lost 3–0 in Cairo, but they demonstrated their strength and character in the return leg in Maiduguri, holding the eventual finalists to a goalless draw.That team became part of El-Kanemi folklore.

For years, however, supporters could only look back at that generation with nostalgia. The club continued to compete domestically, but another continental campaign capable of rekindling the memories of 1993 remained elusive.

The opportunity came again in 2024 when El-Kanemi Warriors won the President Federation Cup and earned a place in the CAF Confederation Cup. Yet that campaign ended at the preliminary stage, leaving the club with unfinished business on the continent.

The response has been different this time.

After winning the President Federation Cup again in 2026, the Warriors returned to the CAF Confederation Cup with greater determination. This time, they have negotiated the preliminary hurdle and secured their place in the next round.

The transformation did not happen overnight. It has been part of a broader effort to strengthen sports in Borno State and provide the necessary environment for athletes and sporting institutions to compete at a higher level.

This is where the contribution of Comrade Saina Buba becomes particularly significant.

As Commissioner for Youths, Sports Development and Poverty Alleviation, Buba has remained closely associated with the state's drive to use sports as a vehicle for youth development, opportunity and positive representation of Borno.

For El-Kanemi Warriors, that commitment has come at a crucial time.

Football clubs do not succeed on the pitch alone. Behind every continental campaign are players and coaches, but also administrators, government support, logistics, welfare and an institutional structure capable of sustaining the demands of elite competition.

Buba's support for the Warriors forms part of that larger picture.

His involvement has helped reinforce the importance attached to El-Kanemi Warriors as one of Borno's most prominent sporting institutions, particularly at a time when the club is once again carrying the state's name beyond Nigeria.

The significance of the current campaign is therefore not limited to qualification.

It represents what can happen when sporting ambition is matched by commitment and support.

The two Federation Cup victories in 2024 and 2026 have already established El-Kanemi as a major force in Nigerian football. But their latest continental achievement suggests that the club may finally be turning domestic success into international relevance.

For supporters who remember the great El-Kanemi side of 1993, the feeling is understandably emotional. For younger fans who were not born when the Warriors last reached the semi-finals of an African competition, the current generation is creating a new memory of its own.

And that is perhaps the greatest significance of the moment.

The objective should no longer be simply to celebrate the achievements of 1993. It should be to build a club capable of producing another era of success — one in which continental football becomes a regular feature rather than a distant memory.

That journey has now begun.

The Warriors have crossed the first hurdle by eliminating UDIB of Guinea-Bissau. Tougher opposition awaits, and the demands of the competition will increase with every round.

But after 33 years, El-Kanemi Warriors are moving forward again.

For the players and technical crew, it is an opportunity to write their names into the club's history. For the supporters, it is the revival of a dream that had remained dormant for more than three decades. And for Borno State, it is another chance to project its sporting identity on the continental stage.

For Comrade Saina Buba, the progress of the Warriors represents a tangible reflection of the wider commitment to sports development and youth empowerment in the state.

The 1993 generation gave Borno a continental dream.

Thirty-three years later, a new generation of Warriors is giving that dream another life.

And with the support surrounding the club, the story of El-Kanemi Warriors may be entering a new and exciting chapter.